Stair lighting ideas

Hello,

although there is still quite some time until construction begins, getting information and ideas certainly can't hurt.
We are building a single-family house with an attached garage, and so far we have had no contact with the company itself or their craftsmen / electricians.

I personally would very much like to have lighting on the staircase, but I am not yet informed about the various options.
It will be a cantilevered staircase (element staircase), I would like the lighting from the ground floor to the first floor and from the first floor to the attic, and it should be a "cozy" light, possibly dimmable?

Mainly it should serve to help when we or the "little one" want to go to the fridge etc. in the evenings, so it should not be too glaring/bright.

I discovered via Aunt Gurgel that there are LED handrails, in the model house park I mostly saw lights in the wall.

Since both of us are absolutely unskilled at craftsmanship, an electrician should and will definitely do it, so it should not end up as a DIY project.

Shortly before the start of construction, we are supposed to submit the electrical plan, and in order not to get under time pressure or forget anything, I would be interested in:

1. what options are there for lighting the staircase?

2. what connections are needed for each option?

3. Are these LED handrails recommended?

I think that's it for now, if I have forgotten anything, I apologize.

Best regards
Madira

Hello Madira,

first of all: Such stair lighting is extremely practical and an additional safety feature.

We have the lighting in the wall above the steps. LED. Not dimmable. 4 light fixtures, each operated with 1.5 watt LED. Switchable and equipped with a twilight sensor. Of course, you can also install more lamps - however, in my opinion, this is not necessary. Because it is important that it works and serves its purpose. It is also decorative this way.

In show homes, I have seen a lot. Wall lighting predominates. But lights integrated into the steps (front edge at the bottom) are also very nice.

I am not familiar with LED handrails from personal experience.

For me personally, it is important with such lighting that the steps are well illuminated. Whether this handrail lighting can do that well, I do not know. You would have to check what the beam angle of this light is.

Best regards Thorsten

PS: I quickly checked. There are various systems for handrails. Some of them provide proper illumination. Very decorative stuff!

We also have our stair lighting in the wall above the steps. We have 6 LEDs - not dimmable. Our staircase leads up in a U-shape - 2 sides with walls. We are happy with the solution and do not miss the dimmer function because the LEDs are sufficient but not too bright.

With lights integrated into the handrail or IN the step, I have a bit of a concern that these lights would suffer from constant use/stress. That means if you go up the stairs with heavy objects/luggage, you might bump into them. Conversely, I have also slipped off the step before and the heel of the shoe could possibly have caused damage there. Occasionally, you may also have to go up with "dirty shoes," which might dirty the lights. Speaking of dirt: if the little one (still small for now) holds onto the handrail with dirty hands or chocolate hands, ... . It doesn’t have to happen - but it could. Then you get annoyed. How easy is it to replace the LEDs in the handrail/stair step? Is this possible? Many "normal" lights are designed as disposable products. That means if the LED is broken, you can dispose of the lamp.

We are happy with the solution and do not miss the dimmer function, as the LEDs are sufficient but not too bright.

Exactly. Very little light is actually enough here.

At the time, I thought: The dusk function is enough; when it got dark, the lamp would turn on.

But we have a cat. Cats don’t like closed doors. Both light and cats pass easily through open doors: The stair lighting began to rob me of sleep. Despite "only" 6 watts total LED.

Then in August 15, I had a switch retrofitted. Only upstairs. Enough. Turn off before going to sleep. If you go downstairs at night: switch on.
In the morning as well: switch on, then the lamp turns on automatically again in the evening.

Especially the safety-plus of such lighting cannot be emphasized enough. Well-visible steps in darkness/at night: brilliant.

Best regards
Thorsten

Thank you both very much.

So illuminated steps or those that start to light up when you step on them definitely don't have to be, and they are probably not cheap either.

May I ask how many steps you have? For us, it is an open staircase (so the steps are not closed) and according to the master plan, there should be 14 steps.
Possibly, if they are meant for the wall, a light at every 3rd step?
Are there special lights for that? Especially for the dusk function?

By switch, do you mean a normal on/off switch?

According to the construction specification, no handrails are planned on the right wall (outer wall), which is why I found these LED handrails practical.
What beam angle would you recommend?

Maybe there is a company near us that sells something like that, then I could possibly get an exact idea - they look great on the internet but they always trick you there anyway.

Regarding the dirt - wouldn't it even be better to have the chocolate fingers on the handrail, which can be washed off, rather than on the "white" wall?

Our "little one" is still 5 but by the time we move he will be 6/7.

Because of the dirt - wouldn't it even be better to have the chocolate fingers on the handrail, which are washable, instead of on the "white" wall?

Definitely. Even better, however, if the lamps are not dirtied by the chocolate fingers.