Mountains and ValLED

Nate Drege from Calvary Church in Muscatine, IA brings us this great LED tape design. If you’re new to working with LED lighting in your church, you might also find our Beginner’s Guide to LED Stage Lighting for Churches helpful for understanding the basics before tackling a project like this.

From Nate: This design was inspired off an earlier design “Peaks and Valleys”. We took the design to the next level by adding LED strips to the design. The wall construction technique we used is similar to building stage flats, which are a fundamental element in many church stage designs. We began by framing up each wall with 2×4 lumber using 16″ spacing. I built the walls in 12′ long sections. We then connected each section while it was laying on the floor. To make our angles we simply snapped a chalk line from corner to corner and then cut our boards along that angle. Next we separated the sections and anchored each one into the floor and to the wall.

The next step was to attach sheets of 3/4″ rigid foam insulation to the wall we had framed up. We attached the foam with 1″ wafer head screws. Once it was attached we used a hot knife to cut off the excess foam and cut our angle. Finally we painted the foam board with flat black paint. It took around 8 gallons of paint to cover.

Next we built the troughs for the led strips to sit in. This part was tricky and may be easier to simply use all wood construction. We ripped down plastic gutter sections and then attached them to 1″x4″x 8′ boards. We painted these sections with flat white paint. The amount of paint and materials will depend on the scale of your project. We attached them with 18 Gauge trim nails around the outside of the structure and approx. 2′ spacing between the horizontal sections.

Next we placed the led strips in the troughs and ran wiring behind the framed wall. I will include links to the components we used for the lighting and a description below. The total cost for the lightning components were around $1,600 and the expense for lumber and other materials was around $1,700. It is a fairly complicated build so make sure you have skilled workers for each step.

Tips for Success: When planning your own LED stage design, consider the overall anatomy of your church stage design to ensure all elements work together cohesively. Plan your power distribution carefully—LED strips can draw significant power, and you don’t want to overload your circuits. Test your DMX controller programming before final installation to work out any lighting sequence issues. Also, consider how the design will look both when lit and unlit, as your stage may be visible to the congregation before and after services.

Related Stage Designs

Related: Romans Reflections – layered sermon series backdrop with columns and greenery

Related: Slat by Slat – dynamic wood slat wall with LED backlighting

Tech Description

• 1 of: SUPERNIGHT (TM) Data Repeater RGB Signal Amplifier For SMD 3528 5050 LED Strip Light, DC 12V 12A
• 3 of: eTopxizu 12v 30a Dc Universal Regulated Switching Power Supply 360w for CCTV, Radio, Computer Project
• 35 of: SUPERNIGHT (TM) 16.4FT 5M SMD 5050 Waterproof 300LEDs RGB Color Changing Flexible LED Strip Light
• 8 of: ZITRADES(TM) 4PCS 2M long extension cable connect female plug for RGB 3528 5050 strip with 8pcs 4pin connectors male
• 16 of: Esco-Lite 2PCS 5M 16.4ft 4Pins Extension cable connect female plug to led strip lights RGB 5050 3528SMD with 4pcs pins free
• 4 of: High Power 24 Channel 3A/CH DMX512 Controller Led Decoder Dimmer For Project