Inside vs Outside Corner Turns with LED Strips

What the light does at an outside corner

Around a convex edge the legs diverge and nothing covers for anyone. A gap at the point becomes a dark notch on the exact face people look at, usually nearer eye level than an inside corner sits. Grazing angles compound it: the last inch of each leg lights its own surface at a slant, so the finish on the edge can go dim even with the tape brought right up to the point. Either close both legs as tight to the point as the product allows, or make the shadow line deliberate and even so it reads as a design decision.

Inside vs outside corner turns and the join you can actually make

A strip flexes along its face, the way a tape measure curls, so a corner in that plane is not a bend at all; forcing one creases the copper and stresses the emitters. That leaves three moves: cut and bridge the legs with wire, fold the tape through a diagonal crease where the product explicitly permits it, or bring the corner to hardware built for the job.

Cut and jump does most of the work, on either geometry, at whatever angle the room hands you. Cut points are a per product matter: many strips are cut only at marked intervals and rejoined with a compatible connector or by soldering, while a cut anywhere design such as the EnoLED MaxCut COB strip lets the cut land where the corner actually is (verify the cut interval and connection method for your strip first).

For the jumper, a solderless strip to wire connector carrying a 72 inch lead has enough cable to run a leg away and bring it back, while a shorter solderless connector adapter suits a tight turn. Take the power off before any cut or splice; a hardwired driver or junction box is a licensed electrician's job, worked to the manufacturer instructions, local code, and NEC requirements.

The step by step method for one square turn sits in our guide to making a 90 degree turn with LED strip. This piece is about telling the two geometries apart and what each costs you.

When a corner piece earns its place

Inside aluminum profile, the corner becomes a profile problem. Miter the extrusion and carry a cut and jump behind the joint, or fit a purpose made corner piece where the range offers one (check the accessory list for your specific channel first). A mitered inside corner closes tightly and swallows the jumper wire. Outside corners are fussier, since the cover meets at the point too, and a loose miter shows as a bright line. Whichever channel or profile you pick, an aluminum housing also helps dissipate the heat the strip produces, though it is never mandatory.