Mini neon flex is a silicone LED strip 3mm or 4mm wide that sits in a routed groove and shows as one unbroken line of light, with no dots. Choose it in two steps. Decide where the light should fall, then check how much board the joinery can give up. Width and depth are separate choices.
This guide compares the four sizes ATOM LED stocks, 4x10mm, 4x8mm, 4x6mm and 3x6mm, and the 4x4mm and 3x3mm that are on the way. Use it to write a specification, or to brief your cabinet maker before anything gets routed.
3mm and 4mm wide · 24V · IP65 · made to measure · 7-year warranty · free UK delivery
Illustration: 4mm lines under each shelf and down the upright.
What is mini neon flex?
Mini neon flex, also sold as micro neon flex, is a flexible LED strip sealed inside a solid silicone body with its own diffuser. The lit face is 3mm or 4mm across. It is made for joinery lighting and furniture lighting, where the light is recessed into the timber and the fitting disappears.
- The silicone body is the diffuser, so the groove does the job of a channel.
- You see a continuous line, even at eye level inside a wardrobe.
- The four sizes in stock bend horizontally, so the line can follow a curved panel or a shaped sign.
- The four sizes in stock run on 24V and are IP65. The whole range carries a 7-year warranty.
Photo: our 4x10mm mini neon flex, lit, between two fingers.
Which mini neon flex size do I need?
The first number is the width of the groove and the lit line. The second is how deep the strip sits in the board. Pick the width for the look and the depth for the timber you have.
- FreeCut Mini Neon Flex 4x10mm: 4mm wide, 10mm deep, FreeCut, 7W per metre.
- FreeCut Mini Neon Flex 4x8mm: 4mm wide, 8mm deep, FreeCut, 7W per metre.
- FreeCut Mini Neon Flex 4x6mm: 4mm wide, 6mm deep, FreeCut, 7W per metre.
- Mini Neon Flex 3x6mm: 3mm wide, 6mm deep, cuts every 10mm, 6.5W per metre, 400 LEDs per metre, CRI above 90.
- 4x4mm: coming soon.
- 3x3mm: coming soon, and the slimmest in the range when it lands.
The four sizes in stock come in 2700K, 3000K, 4000K and 6000K, in lengths from 1m to 5m or made to measure. See them together in our mini LED neon flex collection.
Which size should I choose for a wardrobe side panel?
Work out what is left behind the groove. A 10mm groove in an 18mm panel leaves 8mm of board. An 8mm groove leaves 10mm, and a 6mm groove leaves 12mm. Your cabinet maker decides what the panel needs, based on the board, the span and what is fixed to it. If in doubt, go shallower.
What is the difference between FreeCut and a 10mm cut?
FreeCut mini neon flex has no fixed cut marks, so it trims to whatever length the groove needs. That covers the 4x10mm, 4x8mm and 4x6mm. The 3x6mm has a cut point every 10mm, so it trims to the nearest 10mm below your measurement.
Measure the groove, then take off the space the end cap and the cable feed need at each end. Order to that length, or send us the groove length and we will cut it for you. Fit an end cap with silicone sealant on every cut end, because an open end is no longer IP65.
Mini neon flex or LED tape in an aluminium profile?
Choose mini neon flex when you want the thinnest visible line and a groove of 3mm or 4mm. Choose LED tape in a recessed aluminium profile when you need a wider line, a removable diffuser or a rigid straight run.
- Groove size: mini neon flex needs 3mm or 4mm. Recessed LED strip lighting in a profile needs a far wider rebate, sized to the profile.
- Curves: mini neon flex bends sideways. An aluminium profile stays straight.
- Parts: neon flex is one piece plus end caps. A profile adds the extrusion, diffuser, end caps and clips.
- Service: tape can be lifted out of a profile. Plan how a neon flex run comes out of its groove before you fix it.
Our aluminium profiles cover the second route.
Where do you use mini neon flex?
Use it wherever a 3mm or 4mm groove can be routed: wardrobes, kitchen cabinets, bookcases, display cabinets, media walls, staircases and signs. Start each one with the same three questions. What needs lighting? Where will the line itself be seen? How should it switch on?
Wardrobe lighting
Run a strip down each side panel, with the groove in the inside face so the light points across the wardrobe and onto the clothes. This is the neatest way to fit wardrobe LED strip lights, because nothing hangs below a shelf or catches a hanger.
A worked example: a 2.2m wardrobe with a line in each side panel uses 4.4m of FreeCut. At 7W per metre that is 30.8W. Add 20% headroom and you need a 24V supply of at least 37W. Feed the two 2.2m lines separately from the same supply.
If you want wardrobe sensor lights, tell us which door switch or sensor you plan to use and we will check it suits a 24V strip.
Illustration: 4mm lines in the side panels and under the shelves of every bay.
Kitchen cabinets and plinths
Kitchen cabinet lighting has three jobs, and each wants its own run. Under cabinet lighting goes in a groove on the underside of the wall units to light the worktop. Display lighting goes inside glazed units. Kitchen plinth lighting goes under the base units to wash the floor, where IP65 copes with a mop but not standing water.
4000K suits a worktop you prep food on. 2700K or 3000K suits display and plinth runs. Our under-cabinet installation guide covers the wiring.
Illustration: 4mm lines under the wall units, inside the display units and along the plinth.
Shelves, alcoves and bookcases
For bookcase lighting and alcove shelf lighting, groove the underside of each shelf near the front edge so the light washes down the spines and the back panel. Across several shelves, give every shelf its own cable back to the supply and keep the same white throughout. The 4x6mm and 3x6mm leave the most timber above the groove.
Illustration: a 3mm line under every shelf of two alcove bookcases.
Display cabinet lighting
Set a vertical line in each fixed side panel, in front of the shelf ends, so the light grazes across glass and ceramics. Keep the strips in the carcass, the fixed box of the cabinet, and never in a moving door.
Illustration: 3mm lines in both side panels and under each shelf.
Media walls, slat walls and acoustic panels
For media wall lighting, groove the shelves and niches as you would a bookcase. For slat wall lighting, measure the gap between slats on your acoustic panel before you order. A 4mm strip only works there if the gap holds it firmly, so test with a sample length.
Stairs, handrails and bespoke joinery
Handrail lighting is the tidiest form of LED stair lighting. A groove along the underside of an oak handrail washes light down the wall and onto the treads, with no fitting on show. For more light, add a line under the nosing of each tread. The same detail works on desks, headboards and bar fronts. Our joinery and furniture lighting page has more ideas.
Illustration: 4mm lines under the handrail and under each tread.
Signs and shop displays
The 3x6mm follows routed lettering in MDF or acrylic. For bigger letters, see our neon sign making range.
How do you fit mini neon flex into a routed groove?
Rout a groove the width of the strip and as deep as its height, so the lit face sits flush, level with the surface. Prove the fit in an offcut first. The strip has no adhesive backing, so the groove has to hold it.
- Get the strip in your hand before you rout anything. Silicone sizes carry a tolerance.
- Cut a test groove in an offcut of the same board, with a 4mm straight cutter for the FreeCut sizes or a 3mm cutter for the 3x6mm.
- Press a short length into the test groove. Cutters often cut a touch wide in MDF. If the strip sits loose, ask us which adhesive to use.
- Rout the real groove before the unit is assembled, and stop it short of the panel end if you do not want it to show on the edge.
- Drill the cable exit at the feed end, sized for the cable and its connector.
- Lay the strip out flat, connect it to the power supply and run it for ten minutes before it goes in. Never power it on the roll.
- Press it into the groove from the cable end, a hand-width at a time, without stretching it.
A joiner's checklist before routing
- Board: what is left behind the groove, and is that enough for this panel?
- Position: will anyone look straight at the line, or only see its light?
- Cable route: where does each feed leave the panel, and how does it reach the supply?
- Ends: is there room for the end cap and the feed at each end of the groove?
- Runs: is every run 5m or less, with its own feed?
- Access: can the power supply be reached once the furniture is fitted?
Photo: 4x10mm mini neon flex with its power lead, before fitting.
How do you power and dim it?
Use a 24V constant-voltage LED power supply rated at least 20% above the load, and feed each run of up to 5m separately. Five metres of FreeCut draws 35W, so fit a 42W supply or larger. Five metres of 3x6mm draws 32.5W.
- Longer than 5m: split the layout into sections and wire each one back to the supply in parallel. Do not link strips end to end.
- Where the supply goes: on top of the wardrobe, behind the plinth or in the next cupboard, with air around it and a way to reach it later.
- Dimming: fit a 24V PWM dimmer or controller, rated above the load, between the supply and the strip. For a wall dimmer, use a mains-dimmable 24V supply with a trailing-edge dimmer that the supply maker lists as compatible.
Browse 24V LED power supplies and dimmers and controllers. Mains wiring to the supply is a job for a qualified electrician.
What mistakes should you avoid?
- Routing before you have tested the fit in an offcut.
- Running more than 5m from one feed. The far end goes visibly dimmer.
- Treating IP65 as outdoor-proof. It handles splashes and a wipe down. It is not for gardens, shower enclosures or anywhere it sits in water.
- Leaving cut ends open. Cap and seal every cut.
- Sealing the power supply inside a carcass with no ventilation.
- Ordering different whites for one room by accident.
Mini neon flex questions we get asked
What is the smallest LED neon flex available?
- The slimmest we stock today is 3x6mm, which is 3mm wide and 6mm deep.
- A 3x3mm version is on the way and will be the smallest in the ATOM LED range.
Is mini neon flex waterproof?
- It is IP65, which means protected against splashes and water jets when the ends are sealed.
- It is not rated for immersion or permanent outdoor use. Choose IP67 neon flex for gardens.
Can I cut mini neon flex myself?
- Yes. Cut the FreeCut sizes at any point and the 3x6mm at its 10mm marks, using sharp scissors or a blade.
- Cap and seal the cut end afterwards. We also cut to your measurements before dispatch.
What size groove does 4x10mm neon flex need?
- A groove 4mm wide and 10mm deep puts the lit face flush with the surface.
- Always confirm with a test cut in an offcut before you rout the finished panel.
How long can one run be?
- Up to 5m from a single feed on the four sizes in stock.
- For longer layouts, power each section of 5m or less separately from the same supply.
How long is the warranty?
- Seven years on the 4x10mm, 4x8mm, 4x6mm and 3x6mm mini neon flex.
- The 4x4mm and 3x3mm will carry the same seven years when they arrive.
Why buy from ATOM LED?
Bespoke, made-to-order lighting is what we do. Every run of mini neon flex is cut to your measurements before dispatch from Telford, with a 7-year warranty and free UK delivery. Unsure which size fits? Send us the panel thickness, the groove length and a photo or sketch of the unit, and we will size it with you. Call 01952 370028 or email operations@atomled.co.uk, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.