Mod: Valance Lights
DETAILS: Valance Lights
My favorite lighting is soft, indirect bounce light. These two new valance lights are another great addition! They provide a soft glow similar to the toe kick accent lighting mod that illuminates the floor. My iPhone’s camera, however, can’t accurately capture the soft quality of these dimmable lights.
I installed the new hard-wired LED lights inside the valances that contain the roller shades (both over the dinette and over the bed). Both are on dimmers, and I added a 3-way switch in the bedroom (more details below). The LEDs provide a surprising amount of ambient yet indirect light on high and set a soft mood on low.
Mounting the LED Light Strips
The inside lip of the valance is fabric and is not a suitable surface to stick the adhesive-backed LED light strip (I tried and it fell down within 24 hours). I solved this by lining the inside of the valance with a very thin, light, yet sturdy aluminum flat bar (see photos). I used very strong double-sided tape that was suitable for the textured/porous surface of the fabric. Once the valance had a solid surface inside the lip, the LED light strip stuck very securely to the aluminum.
I went to a local hardware store to purchase the aluminum flat bar and trimmed it to size with a hacksaw. The original piece was 1/16” thick, 3/4” wide and 72” long. I purchased two aluminum flat bars at this length. One of these was longer than needed for the bedroom, and the other was a couple inches shorter than the width of the dinette. Between the two 72” flat bars, I had enough to cover both valances.
Dinette Valance: Switch Location & Power Source
The installation was very straight-forward. I first took down the roller shades by releasing them from the metal clips on the window-side of the roller shade assembly (best done with a second person and a long-handled flathead screwdriver). I drilled a hole vertically and ran the LED wires up through the inside top of the valance and into the hollow space immediately above the valance (below the cabinet).
Using a utility knife, I cut a hole for the dimmer switch in the “ceiling” area immediately to the left of the valance (see photo). Both 12v power and ground were readily available from the OEM USB outlet just inches away (see photo). Unfortunately, this easy power source won’t be the case in all years/models. As long as you have a light in the area, then both +12v power and ground exist and can be tapped.
Bedroom Valance: Switch Location & Power Source
This installation was more complicated, by choice. I installed both a dimmer switch (at the foot of the bed) as well as a 3-way switch (centered between the blue lights above the head of the bed). I wanted two switches since this will be both an accent light that I’d like to dim while standing at the foot of the bed as well as the last light I turn off at night (it will almost always be set to the most dimmed position prior to bedtime). The other two switches visible in the photos (at the foot of the bed) are connected to the original overhead light and the fresh water tank gauge mod.
I powered the light from the OEM USB outlet just inches away from the rear portion of the valance. Similar to the dinette valance, I drilled a hole vertically from the inside of the valance up into the hollow space below the cabinet above. I fished the LED’s wires into that space, to power/ground and eventually to both switches. The 3-way switch requires special wiring that I linked below in a wiring diagram (provided by the switch manufacturer).
I used a wire noodler kit to run the more than 80 feet of wire to make this 3-way switch configuration possible. Having two switches run the same light is a nice luxury if you have the patience for the details of the wiring! If not, a single dimmer switch in the “ceiling” near the valance would be a straight-forward solution.
Dimmer Switch: www.amazon.com/dp/B079TJTP1W
3-way On/On Switch: https://bit.ly/33DjJMp
3-way Wiring Diagram: https://bit.ly/2wrfesh
LED Light Strips (2-pack): www.amazon.com/dp/B00WQFP1LU
Double-sided Tape: www.amazon.com/dp/B00004Z4BV
Wire Noodler Kit: www.amazon.com/dp/B01LXCJSRP