RGB COB step-risers, full-spectrum colour control

150+ metres of 10mm IP68 RGB COB strip wrapping a private terrace and pool. Custom-cut to length, set into purpose-machined corner profiles, driven by a Miboxer HW5 controller for full-spectrum colour control.

Sector: Residential · Outdoor terrace
Scope: Step risers + pool perimeter
Run length: 150m+ custom-cut
Year: 2024

RGB COB step-risers, full-spectrum colour control

The brief

A private outdoor terrace built around a sunken pool, with two flights of paved step risers leading down from the main house. The owner wanted full-spectrum colour control across every riser and the pool perimeter — something that could shift from a quiet warm wash for evening dinners to saturated colour for parties, without ever showing dot effect on the long step runs.

The build had to survive UK weather year-round, sit flush with the stone risers, and integrate cleanly with the property's existing smart-home system.

Step risers and pool perimeter at twilight in purple, full-context view of the terrace

The solution — 10mm IP68 RGB COB

We specified our 10mm RGB COB strip at 24V, IP68 waterproof. Three reasons drove the choice:

COB over individual SMDs — continuous filament output, no visible dots even at 30cm viewing distance. On a 12-step riser run, that's the difference between a clean light line and a row of LED beads.
10mm narrow body — the RGB COB at 10mm fits the standard riser channel exactly, sitting flush with no gap at the tread edge.
IP68, not IP67 — pool spray and standing water are baseline conditions. IP68 silicone is rated for continuous submersion, not just splash.

Controller: a Miboxer HW5 RGB unit driving the whole installation, with smart-home scene control layered on top.

Step risers at twilight in teal showing the RGB COB output across the full run

Same step run shifted to deep blue at blue hour, showing the colour range

The result

One continuous COB filament across every step riser and the pool perimeter — 150m of seamless light line, scene-controlled across the full RGB spectrum. The corner profiles hold the strip flush at every riser-to-tread transition, so the light line never breaks.

From the house, the terrace reads as architecture lit by a single instrument that happens to change colour. That's the point of COB at this scale: no dots, no joins, no visible kit.

Low angle shot from below the steps, magenta RGB COB colour, showing the dramatic perspective of the run

Technical breakdown

What's installed on this project

Strip: 10mm RGB COB LED Strip 24V — IP68 waterproof, custom-cut to length. Continuous-filament COB output — zero dot effect across every step.
Voltage: 24V DC — appropriate for the 10mm RGB COB body. Multiple feed points across the 150m run, all hidden in the corner profile.
IP rating: IP68 — fully sealed silicone body, rated for continuous submersion. Designed for direct UK weather and pool-side spray exposure.
Controller: Miboxer HW5 RGB controller — RF + 2.4GHz remote, full RGB colour wheel, scenes, fade rates, and group control.
Profile: Purpose-machined corner profiles for RGB COB strip. The 90° geometry holds the COB body flush at the riser-to-tread transition with no light leakage at the corner.
Length specification: 150m+ total · custom-cut to each step length on site · zero visible joins across the run · 10mm narrow body sized for the riser channel.