Mounting LED strips behind glass so the source stays hidden
The reliable arrangement hides the emitter behind something opaque, letting only the light escape. In a cabinet that means the frame rebate, the face frame, or a returned fillet at the top of the opening; in a partition, a reveal deep enough that the tape sits below the sightline.
Low output helps more than people expect: display glass sits close to the viewer, and a high output strip behind a pane produces glare and a hard reflected line. The LEDClub 24V COB 200 Series is one suitable choice for close range accent work behind glass, where the aim is even light on the contents rather than raw output (verify lumens per foot, watts per foot, and voltage on the product page first). A continuous emitter helps too, since a row of diodes returns a row of reflections; whether that shows depends on density, distance, channel depth, and diffuser.
Our guide to lighting a jewelry display case covers the retail case and how light behaves on stones and metal; this piece stays with the glass and its mounting problem.
Adhesive on a glass surface
Glass is flat, non porous, and easy to clean, which sounds ideal for tape, with two conditions. Wipe it with plain isopropyl alcohol and let it flash off, since cleaner residue leaves a film that stops the bond forming. Then press firmly along the length and give it time.
The condition people miss is temperature: adhesive on cold glass may never reach full strength, so bring pane and tape to room temperature first. Where a run is vertical, or the glass gets washed often, an aluminum channel or profile fastened to the frame rather than the pane lasts better, and it helps dissipate the strip's heat, though it is never obligatory.
Lighting a glass shelf from the edge
A glass shelf lit along its edge carries light through the pane and releases it where the surface is interrupted, which is why an etched or frosted shelf glows and a polished one mostly does not. The strip has to face into the edge, not down at it, so a channel in the shelf support gives the cleanest result, and since the far edge is always dimmer, a long shelf may want feeding from both ends. Keep tape off the visible faces, where it shows from every angle.
Condensation, cleaning, and what an IP rating covers
Glass attracts condensation: a cool pane in a warm room, a bathroom mirror, or a chilled case can put moisture exactly where the strip sits. Do not treat any strip as generally waterproof. Look up the exact rating for the product in your hand, and remember it covers the strip alone: connectors, cut ends, end seals, and the driver must suit the same conditions.
Where moisture is expected, choose a product rated for it rather than adapting a dry location one. The EnoLED Glow67 series is specified as IP67 for wet location use (verify the IP rating, the cut end sealing method, and the location suitability on the product page before you rely on them), and it still needs sealed connections and a suitably enclosed driver to work as a system.
Panes get wiped often, and strong ammonia based cleaners attack acrylic and polycarbonate covers. Keep them off the profile, use plain water or isopropyl alcohol, and cut the power first. Hardwired drivers, junction boxes, and permanent connections stay a licensed electrician's work under the applicable manufacturer instructions, local code, and NEC rules.
