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Decorative Screens DIY 4 min read

Backlit Decorative Screens – An Easy DIY Project

Backlit decorative screens can be used as a creative way to add some colour, detail, pattern, interest or character to your home or apartment.

You can use backlit decorative screens as a creative way to add some colour, detail, pattern, interest or character to your home or apartment. It’s an easy DIY project that ticks the high impact, the low cost AND the little effort box.

What would happen if you were offered the services of an interior designer …for free? Is there any chance in the world the smile on your face is currently growing at the thought that finally you could add that bit of WOW to your home?

Is it a bit of ‘je ne sais quoi’ you’d like to introduce to your formal dining area? Some elegance to your bedroom? Or some sophisticated ambiance at the entrance?

The sigh is almost audible. Only if… But what if I told you there’s no need to wait for that rather unlikely offer of a free interior designer?

See, we may have a little DIY project that ticks the high impact, the low cost AND the little effort box. They’re the best kind of projects!

Backlit Decorative Screens – Interior Use

No, we’re not talking about fancy wallpaper. That’s not effortless DIY by any means. We’re talking about backlit decorative screens. Let us explain.

Decorative screens are rapidly growing in popularity as room dividers and landscape solutions. But they can also be used as a creative way to add some colour, detail, pattern, interest or character to your home or apartment. It’s exactly the sort of thing an interior designer would do.

The benefits of backlit decorative screens can be two-fold: They add a unique feature to your room but also, they serve as an elegant way to provide ambient light. Whatever your reason for using them, backlit decorative screens are guaranteed to make people stop and take notice.

As for the effortless part, it really is as easy as deciding which Strol SmartScreen panel you like and adding back light (Which is a lot easier than you may think, but we’ll get back to that later)!

The best of it all? You can take your piece of backlit wall art with you when you move out!

Backlit Decorative Screens – Exterior Use

But backlit wall screens are not limited to interior areas. They work just as well outside.

Here are some ingenious ways people have been using the SmartScreen panels as lighted floating wall panels.

  • Create some depth of field by backlighting your (boring) garden fence

  • Introduce interest to the narrow South side of the house

  • Use backlit wall art as a backdrop to a water feature

  • Light up an outdoor path with some mood lighting, combining safety with elegance

  • Bring a tranquil and special feel to your spa area

  • Create a cozy outdoor room by sheltering the patio from the kids’ play area

Frankly, we wouldn’t know which one to choose! Luckily, the options are only limited by your imagination. For visual inspiration, you may like to check out our Strol SmartScreen Pinterest board for more indoor and outdoor ideas to spark your inner creative. Try some colour combinations using our LED Backlight Designer below.

How to Make Backlit Wall Panels?

When it comes to the DIY side of things, here’s how easy it is to tackle the project.

Your shopping list

  • Strol SmartScreens

  • Strol SmartScreen wall mounts

  • LED rope lighting

  • Damage-free rope light clips (Self-adhesive LED flexible light strip also works fine)

Everything you need is available from Mitre 10.

Tip: Don’t forget to check whether the LED lighting is suitable for indoor or outdoor use

Backlit Wall Panels Step by Step

Step 1: Secure the white or multi-coloured LED lighting behind the screen laying it on a flat surface.

Step 2: Measure and mount the SmartScreen decorative screens using the SmartScreen indoor and outdoor wall mounts. They are long lasting and can be painted with a good quality enamel spray-paint in the colour of your choice. Alternatively, you can use battens, leaving a gap behind the screens and the wall or the fence.

Step 3: Plug in the LED lighting and… Voila!

Strol SmartScreen Features – the nitty gritty

So down to the practical detail, the Strol SmartScreens are very versatile and environment friendly.

  • Different type of finishes are available. If none of those appeal, the SmartScreen panels can be painted, coated or stained with a water based exterior paint or stain.

  • Choose between different sizes to suit your area.

  • 100% natural, no chemical or artificial glues, better than zero carbon footprint.

  • The SmartScreen panels have a 10-year warranty.

It really is that easy to give your home the wow factor you were looking for! So, save yourself the interior designer fee and pick up your SmartScreen today!

STEP of

What are you building?

Helps us understand your project. Every design is available whatever you choose here.

STEP of

Choose screen sizes

All 3 screen sizes shown. The design step will filter to this size by default.

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Choose a design

STEP of

Your run length

Screens come in fixed panel widths, so we round each run to the nearest whole panel and show the achievable length.

STEP of

How are you installing?

Concrete and hard-surface posts both include the base plate; the option sets the post length. Wall mount fixes the panels straight to a wall using bracket kits instead of posts.

STEP of

Add gates (optional)

Gate kits are only available as WPC 900 × 1800mm screens in Fantail, Fern, Tui, Flax and Louvre. Each gate leaf is 900mm wide and takes the place of screen panels in your run. Gate hardware is listed separately.

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Your total panels required

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Run length

These parts are limited by screen size: the run is built from whole panels, so the buildable length is close to what you entered but rounded up to the nearest panel.

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