Crown-Cove LED Lighting in Pittsburgh
A continuous line of warm light hidden at the crown line — no visible fixture, no plug-in strip, no cord. Hardwired 24V LED in aluminum channel, controlled from a real wall dimmer. Three packages, priced up front.
Why this is not the $199 kit
The foam-crown LED kits sold on social media are the anchor everyone cites — so let's answer it straight. Those kits are plug-in tape with a wall wart and a remote: visible LED dots, low color rendering that makes skin and food look grey, and a cord running down your wall. Crown molding alone — just the trim, professionally installed — runs $14–$22 per foot in this market. A hardwired, permitted, dimmer-matched lighting system installed inside it cannot honestly cost less than the trim itself.
What we install is a listed 24V system per NEC 411: high-CRI (95+) tape in aluminum channel with a diffuser for a dotless, even wash, a dimmable driver sized at 125% of load and hidden but accessible, and a wall dimmer installed and trimmed so it fades cleanly to about 1% with no flicker or pop-on. The dimmer is matched to the driver's phase spec (TRIAC vs ELV) and bench-verified before install day — never assumed.
The packages
Priced per typical room (up to ~60 ft of perimeter). Every package includes the measure-verified design, all materials, installation, dimmer setup, and our 2-year workmanship warranty.
1. Cove Glow — Retrofit · $1,899
For rooms that already have crown molding (or a dropped crown/soffit) we can light from.
- Tape: 24V high-CRI (95+) warm-white LED, 2700K standard (3000K on request), in aluminum channel with diffuser — dotless, even wash.
- Driver & dimmer: dimmable driver sized at 125% of load, hidden but accessible; wall dimmer installed and low-end trimmed to ~1%.
- Wiring: hardwired to a listed system per NEC 411 (UL 2108 parts), CL2/CL2P in-wall cable — nothing plugged into an outlet.
2. Crown & Light · $2,999
New crown molding plus the full Cove Glow lighting package.
- Crown: paint-grade crown molding installed, caulked, and painted.
- Lighting: everything in the Retrofit package — tape, channel, driver, dimmer, hardwiring.
3. Cove Glow Architectural — Mud-In · from $4,499
The trimless version: a clean line of light with no visible fixture at all.
- Channel: recessed plaster-in (mud-in) architectural channel, finished flush with the ceiling line.
- Finish included: drywall, mud, and paint finish work is part of the package.
- Lighting: the same 24V high-CRI system, driver, and wall-dimmer control as every package.
Add-ons
- Tunable white / dim-to-warm or RGBW smart control (app + wall control): +$399 per room.
- Second room on the same visit: 15% off that room's package.
- Whole main floor (3+ rooms): custom scope, priced after the measure visit.
- Lighting work outside a package is billed at our standard rate: $75/hour plus a $50 trip charge.
How it starts: the measure visit
We don't do free quotes — they're a waste of your time and ours, and cove lighting can't be priced honestly from a photo. Ceiling height, crown profile, run length, voltage drop, and dimmer compatibility all have to be measured in the room.
- On-site measure & design visit: $50 trip charge — credited in full toward any package you choose.
- Discounts: new customers get 30% off labor on their first job; veterans and seniors get 20% off — applied to the labor portion.
- Permits: pulled where Pittsburgh PLI requires them for the electrical alteration.
- Older homes: nearly half of Pittsburgh's homes were built before 1939. If we find wiring surprises, they're quoted before work — never buried in the bill.
- Warranty: 2-year workmanship warranty on every install; tape and driver manufacturer warranties pass through (our spec tape carries up to 7 years from the manufacturer).
Common questions
Why not just buy the $199 foam crown LED kit online?
Those kits are plug-in, low-CRI tape with a wall wart and a remote — visible dots, color that makes skin and food look grey, and a cord. Our packages are a listed 24V system, hardwired per NEC 411, on a real wall dimmer, in aluminum channel with a diffuser for a dotless line of light.
Do you offer free quotes for LED lighting?
No — and that is deliberate. Cove lighting has to be measured: ceiling height, crown profile, dimmer compatibility, and driver placement all change the job. The on-site measure and design visit is a $50 trip charge, credited in full toward any package you choose.
What warranty do the lighting packages carry?
A 2-year workmanship warranty on the installation, and the tape and driver manufacturer warranties pass through to you (the tape we spec carries up to 7 years from the manufacturer).
Will it flicker on my existing dimmer?
It won't be left to chance. The dimmer is matched to the driver's phase spec (TRIAC vs ELV) and bench-verified for flicker, pop-on, and minimum load before install day — and the low end is trimmed in your room, not at the factory.