Star Ceilings - XVR - Create the Ultimate Star Ceiling!
By popular request I am now producing my original XVR star strips again but in an updated version. My original star strips from 2015 where by far the best of all my stars over the past decade and now the Gen VII star strip re-make is even more advanced. I will also be making a new type of unrelated art in 2019 so these stars will only be made in limited quantity. The best star ceiling art on the planet just got a whole lot better!
XVR Star Strips - Advanced Technology Star Ceilings
The new XVR star strip re-make is slightly more expensive than the original at AUD$56.00 per 5 star strips and each set of 5 is used to create approximately a 4sqm or 40Sq. Ft star ceiling area using the 214 micro domes per set. Shipping anywhere in the world is $18 for the first star set and for the moment free shipping on multiple star sets but does not include any duties or taxes that your government may apply on entry.
The next available stock of XVR star strips will be shipping this Tuesday 25th September 2018. Australia, United States, Canada and United Kingdom have an average 7 to 10 day delivery time from the shipping day. All other countries see a 10-21 day average delivery time. If you want your order to ship on any given shipping day it is best to order at least one day prior.
Also if you are planning on buying XVR star strips as a truly awesome gift for Christmas 2018 you should order by late November as I will not have the same stock quantities of past years.
Star Ceiling Overview - XVR Star Strips - Gen VII
Create a brilliant and adult realistic star ceiling with ease using my unique and original star ceiling strips. Each of my XVR star strips carry 47 highly controlled micro domes many of which having a diameter (Metric) of just 2.3mm. This true micro size is just one of the many critical aspects of achieving night sky realism in any star ceiling. They will also provide a stunning whitish star light with a bluish hue representing the true night sky to perfection. Each set of 4 XVR multi-range star strips comes with a 5th strip containing 16 super bright stars, two blue giants and 8 constellation stars. These stars have an afterglow performance that will give your star ceiling a wow factor that you will never see with any other glow in the dark based star ceiling art.
An afterglow performance with no equal. My latest glow tech has taken the star performance to a new level with a completely unmatched 20+ hours glow time per charge. This impressive afterglow capability means that your stars only need to receive afternoon daylight and they will self charge requiring zero added light for a full night’s viewing. This glow longevity also means that your star ceiling will keep it’s wow factor thru-out the entire night and will not dull out like all other glow in the dark stars, some in less than 30 minutes.
Deeper black space effect with a more finely tuned star variation range and super high movement effect adding to the realism. No matter how much you try and convince yourself that they can’t have realistic movement within just minutes of lights out your star ceiling will be highly animated just as in the true night sky. Also the more you focus in the blackness of your star ceiling the more stars you will see pulse out of the darkness.
All the stars including the smallest micro domes have self adhesive bases, difficult to create but simple to use. This image shows the dome sticking to the tip of a box cutter blade. The bases serve a two fold purpose the first being the easy placement to the ceiling, just slide, then press. The second purpose is to direct all of the glow light forward out of the star so it’s not only operating at a peak level but can also perform equally on any colored background. This is most useful if setting up a home theater star ceiling on a black background.
Create a star ceiling that will glow all night every night for decades. Completely safe for all area’s with the glow in the dark composition at: Zero VOC, Non-Radioactive and Non-Toxic. Perfect for all bedrooms whether an adult star ceiling, nursery star ceiling or even a brilliant night sky setup in a Motor Home!
With my new high performance glow tech I have also been able to create stars for the first time with a very low daytime opacity. This feature is huge as it allows daylight to pass right through the stars and fully charge them in seconds and yet they have a higher afterglow than a dense high opacity star that is hard to charge. The stars should only receive afternoon daylight which is what they are tuned and designed to work with. You can see in this image how the torch light is passing right through the blue giant on my finger which is what the daylight will automatically do.
The ultimate star ceiling effect refined and perfected over the past fourteen years and unmatched by all other glow in the dark stars, glow stickers, glow paint, fibre optics etc. Also completely proven with thousands of star ceilings set up around the world since 2009. XVR stars are a great gift for any person at any age!
Unlike fibre optics there is no need for ceiling excess, no cables to run, no power supplies to install and no holes to drill. There is also no mess like glow paint and due to my unique star strip format the star ceiling outcome is not only always perfect but you need no experience to achieve a perfect star ceiling result!
If you are to look at the stars in the real night sky you will see variation the real stars do not all look the same in size or intensity. So if you want to recreate the same look on your ceiling you will need a product that will supply this variation. This star panel shows the varied glow intensities of the stars however each level has it’s own sub level so on your ceiling it is far more complex than this.
This is also actual star variation and not the fake kind that others refer too, it is slowly and precisely created using multiple resins with varied glow pigment loading and multiple physical size micro dome diameters. It is a highly complex result to obtain these star levels on each star strip but this true star variation must exist within the stars otherwise the possibility of replicating the actual night sky within your star ceiling is simply not possible.
These stars are also the most highly animated of any that I have been able to make and having this type of realistic night sky animation increases the perfection in your star ceiling, you do not get a boring and static night sky. These stars will also make your ceiling look black even if it’s white or light coloured to give you the illusion of deep black space thru out your star field. Have this amazing and relaxing work of art on your ceiling and enjoy sleeping under the stars!
Unique Star Ceiling Concept.
Each of my micro domes is it’s own glow in the dark light source that requires no batteries or power supplies. This energy is intricately controlled at the point of production so each individual star has the capacity to work in it’s own precisely controlled range and this allows not only a perfect star ceiling effect but one that will shine all night and with zero maintenance. You can easily see the precise dome shape in this magnified image but in reality these glow domes are very very small.
Hands on Production Process.
The stars on my Gen VII XVR star strips are still fully hand crafted just as they have been over the past decade. This is not a mass production process it is something that takes time to produce and even more so with my super tiny micro domes which are challenging to make even under magnification. However controlling the resin type, pigment colour, pigment loading, star mass and ultimate intensity range of every individual star is the only way to achieve true star ceiling realism and the reason that ALL mass produced stars fail without exception.
A comment from one of my customers that sums up my star ceiling.
No matter how many pictures you look at… you will never be able to appreciate how amazing these stars look. The stars on the ceiling in our daughters bedroom don’t just look like little lights… the ceiling is transformed into a night sky with depth and distance… amazing simply amazing!
This how-to video will show how you can simply install and get the most out of the XVR glow in the dark stars. You can just view the basic image instructions but the video will give more detailed information on setting up the star ceiling.
Star Ceiling Instructions - XVR Star Strips
Your room must be DARK while viewing your star ceiling. The XVR stars are affected by interfering light just as with the stars in the true night sky and without correct darkness you will not see many of the high depth faint/movement stars that provide most of the awesome star ceiling animation.
Make sure your ceiling or wall is clean, dry and dust free before you place your stars or you will end up with some falling stars : ) Also I have pictured how to install the stars on a black background just so you can see how I am fitting them but on a white or very light coloured background or ceiling the stars will be almost invisible during regular daylight hours. That is not to say you cannot have a dark background or ceiling as the stars will work perfect on any background colour.
Installing: Separate the stars from each of the 4 multi-range star strips as I show above to an approximate one square metre area per strip. This would also be one multi-range strip to every 10 square feet of star ceiling area that you are creating. Once you have the general star field setup with the 4 multi-range strips then add stars from the super bright star strip randomly over the full star ceiling area. This strip also contains the two blue giants and 8 constellation stars but all can be applied random. Repeat this with however many sets of XVR star strips you purchase. That’s it, that’s all there is to creating the most realistic star ceiling that you are ever going to see indoors!
Please Note: I limit the constellation stars to 8 simply because the more you add the more you will drown out many of your depth stars in that given star ceiling area. You can take a few of the super bright stars to make a higher star count constellation but if you do make sure that the constellation spans a large area of the star ceiling section to make up for the loss in random super brights and to limit the drowning out of your depth stars. The super bright stars are a critical part of the random star field so whether you are going to view them as a super bright star or a constellation star they must exist over the full 4sqm area.
Single star sets are packed in a 16mm diameter packing tube as shown in the packing tube image. I have designed these tubes to protect the star strips while shipping and also to keep the star base adhesive in perfect condition for up to 12 months in cases where there may be a delayed install. For storage simply keep the star strips in the capped tubes and away from direct Sunlight.
When purchasing multiple sets the star strips will be packed in a single larger packing tube of 21mm diameter which is simply a larger tube but with the same benefits. If you are purchasing the stars as gifts for multiple people and want X amount of sets in X amount of packing tubes you will need to inform me after you have completed your order.
Home Theater Star Ceilings with the 7th Gen Star Strips.
Over the past decade many of my stars have been used in home theater star ceilings while the theater room is dark before or after movies. The 4th generation star strip version was the most effective for this use but the 7th gen star strip re-make is now even more effective.
This higher level of suitability stems from the impressive afterglow performance of these stars and the fact that they can now be viewed with very little dark eye adaption needing to be present. So to view the star ceiling in a bedroom setting is fine as it is expected that your eyes will continue to dark adapt as you continue to view your stars however this is hardly the case in a star ceiling setup in a home theater.
So with theatre stars it is far more likely that your eyes will never see any high level of dark eye adaption due to the simple fact that you are still up and about and in need of intermittent light thru-out the viewing time. This is where the 7th gen stars excel as they have the capability to provide an impressive depth range within the star field at the point of having only very slight dark eye adaption.
I recommend the use of an adjustable LED lamp that has low light output settings so you can have the light you need when you need it but still maintain slight levels of dark eye adaption when you resume viewing your star ceiling. You cannot leave the LED lamp on it must only be used intermittently when you need some light in the theatre room, the room must be dark while you view the stars.
Provided the theater room is dark while you view my stars you will never match the true realism that they create and this impressive night sky effect is simply unmatched regardless of which other star type you may use for the application. In a home theater star ceiling you may not be able to benefit from daylight charging which is the light that the stars are designed to work with, this is often the case when the theatre room is setup in a basement. In such cases you will need to use artificial light to charge the stars and it is guaranteed that the light will mess with the star ranges. The only way around this issue is to charge the stars to whatever level that suits you personally and turn the light off one+ hours before viewing so the star ranges have time to drop back to their correct operating levels.
Astronomically Correct Constellation Stars
If you love astronomy and star gazing and the idea of having a super realistic star ceiling then you may also want star constellations within that star ceiling however I do recommend you limit this to one constellation for any one set of XVR stars. This set up is not normally a simple task but with the creation of my Glowpatch projection templates you can set up this amazing night sky without having to map out or guess your star positions making it fast, easy and accurate.
Star Ceiling Constellation - Projection Templates
Cancer Constellation pdf – Cancer
Canis-Major Constellation pdf – Canis-Major
Cassiopeia Constellation pdf – Cassiopeia
Crux Constellation pdf – Crux
Pisces Constellation pdf – Pisces
Sagittarius Constellation pdf – Sagittarius
Virgo Constellation pdf – Virgo
When you print your templates do so on grey colored A4 card stock rather than normal paper as you will get a better projection. In this image you can see the projection of the Aries constellation that I setup as an example.
Select which constellations you want and print them out on card paper using their matching pdf file. Once you have your prints punch the holes through the paper as printed and then your constellation template is ready to be used. You will need the help of one person to project the image with a torch. The torch needs to have a wide beam as shown in the above image because a narrow or spot beam will not transfer a useable shadow image
The person holding the torch and template can use the back of a chair to help steady their hands but it’s not critical. This person should hold the torch at a distance from the template that will give a constellation projection in the size you want the constellation to span. To vary the size of the shadow image you are projecting simply move the torch closer or further to the template. I recommend a maximum span length of one meter or 3 feet for any given constellation that uses the 8 constellation stars or less. If you are doing a single high star count constellation by robbing super bright stars that constellation must span a large area so that those super bright stars still exist thru-out the entire star ceiling.
Once your helper is projecting the image in the correct ceiling position place one constellation star into each of the projected circles on the ceiling. These are the 8 stars above the two blue giants on the super bright star strip. If not setting up constellations you would just apply these constellation stars random thru-out your star ceiling.
Contact me
If you would like some specific information you can contact me: marcel@theglowpatch.com however it will likely take some time for the response so please be paitent.
Frequently Asked Questions - XVR Star Ceilings
Question: Not all the stars are glowing on the star strips I received?
Answer: You will never see all the stars working on the star strips no matter how much light you give them. Until the stars are installed and viewed in darkness the faint range stars will look like they have very little to no glow which is exactly what they should look like while on the strips. This applies to around 1/3 of the stars on each strip so by trying to view them in this way you will only see the mid to high range stars. The faint range stars are designed to only pulse from the darkness and will never be permanently visible. They are also the stars that will give you the awesome and realistic movement effect that only an XVR star ceiling can provide.
Question: What type of light will charge the stars?
Answer: The current stars are designed and tuned to charge with regular afternoon daylight and due to their massive afterglow longevity require zero additional light for a full and perfect nights viewing. The daylight level will also not make any difference as even on a high overcast or stormy afternoon they will still self charge perfect provided daylight gets into the room.
If you do use any artificial light to charge the stars regardless of the type of light it should be turned off one hour before viewing as it will have messed with the star ranges from the depth stars right up to the brights and they will need to drop back to their correct operating levels. This also means you should not use a regular room light in the room at night unless it is turned off one hour before you view the stars. Very low lumen bulbs in standard ceiling fixtures may only disrupt the star balance for around 15 minutes. I use and recommend a low brightness LED adjustable lamp for regular night use as it will not disrupt the precise star ranges and will maintain a correctly operating star ceiling as charged by daylight.
Question: Does my room need to be dark?
Answer: Yes room darkness is very important and if you have that you will never see a more realistic and stunning indoor star ceiling. Some customers have told me they love their stars even without having complete darkness but having any light in the room will equal a loss in effect and the more interfering light the less depth and realism and in some cases no stars at all.
Question: What colour are the stars when viewed in darkness?
Answer: The stars are made using three glow pigments, 2 types of sky blue in the faint to mid range stars and blue green towards blue in the bright to super bright range. These glow colors however are quite irrelevant as far as glow colour is concerned because the stars will appear as whitish stars with a bluish hue representing the true night sky while you view your star ceiling in darkness. If you did see an actual glow colour while viewing it would greatly detract from the realism. The only time you would see the glow colours for a short time is if you highly overcharged the stars but in such a case you will have also lost the intricate star balance that creates the star ceiling perfection.
Question: Should I paint my ceiling black?
Answer: The stars are designed for white or very light coloured ceilings so on dark ceilings the stars will stand out during daylight hours as they are whitish in day colour. The micro domes work on any colour background and you will get a deeper black space effect on a dark background but a light background provides a higher star aura. Both ways the effect is stunning so it really won’t matter.
Question: Do your stars work on textured or popcorn type ceilings?
Answer: Countless US and Canadian customers have fitted my stars to their textured/popcorn ceilings and tell me they have no problem as the stars are small enough to fit on flat spots all over the ceiling. You may have to glue or silicone the few largest stars if you don’t have large enough flat spots for them. Vacuum the ceiling before fitting the stars to ensure a good surface for adhesion.
Also textured ceilings can be a little challenging because the stars disappear or blend in as you fit them but there is no real order the stars need to be placed in so without seeing how you are installing you will guarantee random placement, actually a good thing. The only thing to be sure of is to keep moving so you don’t over apply in one area. It is best to have a thinner placement to start with and have left over stars and then add more to certain area’s after seeing the effect in the dark, a little slower to setup but a better install.
Question: After I have fitted some stars they don’t seem to have a strong grip to the ceiling?
Answer: You should never try and feel the grip of a star after fitting it as it will build it’s grip over time. You should just push each star firmly to the ceiling for half a second which will activate the adhesive and then just leave them to build their grip over the next few days.
Question: Are the XVR ceiling stars safe for a Nursery?
Answer: Yes, if the ceiling is dry and dust free when you fit the stars they will stay up. You may have the odd star fall now and again over time but the stars are so small they are not a chocking hazard. The blue giants have a tiny bit of size and if they are a concern for you apply a bit of clear silicone or clear glue over the star once fitted which will lock it into position.
Question: My ceiling does not look like black space and my stars are not very bright?
Answer: The brightness of your stars and the blackness of your ceiling will be determined by the darkness of your room. If you don’t have a perfect star ceiling you simply have too much interfering light in your room: Street light, Moon Light, Air Conditioning L.E.D light hitting the ceiling, bright L.E.D clocks, Computers, Optical Mice, Stereos, other glow products etc. You need to find the interfering light and remove it or obscure it. If outside light is the problem you can fit block out curtains or if you have a lot of gadgets place some black tape over all the LEDs.
Question: Can you use the stars on a sloped ceiling?
Answer: The slope won’t matter but the stars are designed to have a minimum distance of 6 feet from the viewers eyes when looking directly up. If the ceiling slopes lower than this above the viewers eyes start the stars a little further forward to keep the minimum distance.
Question: I have been told I have to pay import charges to collect my item is this normal?
Answer: As stated at the cart you are responsible for your own Country Import Duties and Taxes if any. I do not control what your Government may charge you nor do I profit from their tax.
Question: If I am renting can I reuse the stars if I move?
Answer: No, my stars can only be fitted once and you would never get them to work a second time even if you managed to glue them because they would not be in the correct order. They are supplied to you in a way that will give you a perfect night sky effect without you needing experience.
It is very easy to make a portable night sky and it works magnificent with the micro domes. All you need is paper just a satin or matte type it does not need to be gloss and you can even go to any print shop in your area and get A0 size paper laminated to have long term durability. Get as many as you want to hang up like giant night sky posters and then you will have an awesome mobile night sky and can move it around as much as you like. It is best not to hang star posters on more than one wall in the same room as they can cancel each other out to an extent.
Question: How long will the stars last?
Answer: There is no set end time of the stars they have the potential to work endlessly so provided your ceiling is clean and dry and your ceiling paint is not flaky or peeling when you fit the stars they should continue shining for decades.
Question: Will the stars work on very high ceilings?
Answer: Yes the new stars will work better than ever before however room darkness will be more important in order to see the very fine detail and movement stars at distance. Also it will take more effort and time to put the stars up as the ceiling is harder to reach. You would be better to install the stars using the tip of a box cutter blade as I show above if the install is awkward as it gives you easier reach of star placement.
Question: Will your stars work in theater rooms?
Answer: Many customers use my bedroom stars in theatre rooms but they will only work while the room is dark. They enjoy the stars before or after movies while listening to music, talking, relaxing etc. The stars are also capable of being installed on a black ceiling with no loss in effect which is very common in a home theater star ceiling. The stars are whitish in day colour so this means they will not blend and disappear during the day like in bedrooms with light coloured ceilings so please be aware of this. Also if the stars will not receive regular daylight for charging any artificial light must be shut off one + hours before viewing.
Question: Will your stars stick to any ceiling?
Answer: Normal painted ceilings will be fine and I have been told they work on popcorn or textured ceilings by many customers also. The stars should be applied to the ceiling within 12 months of receiving the product as long term storage may result in the adhesive drying out on the star bases. If they are going to be stored for any length of time keep them in the packing tube that I send them to you in as it is designed to store the star strips very well over time.
Question: Will the star ceiling light effect your sleep?
Answer: The star light is very soft and will not penetrate your eye lids, your eye lids are like an on/off switch and once they are closed the light is gone. The stars are also very relaxing so the only effect you are likely to get is a positive one.
XVR - GEN IV Feedback - July 2015 Onwards
I have a huge amount of customer comments from the past decade but will only have the feedback that came in for the original star strips from 2015 as these will be the only stars I will continue to make into the future.
Marcel, Last week, I was able to take the time to install my son’s star ceiling. And while it may take some time for my neck and shoulders to recover from sticking 2000 stars up there, it was completely worth the effort. I’ve attached a photo (a one-minute exposure since they’re so realistically faint), but you know better than anyone that photographs can’t begin to do justice to the real effect of lying under these stars. Drawing his heavy curtains and making the room pitch black thrusts us into a very realistic night sky experience.
As you can see, I’ve positioned many of the brightest stars to show some of the most prominent northern hemisphere constellations, and I even went so far as to try to preserve some important spatial relationships where possible. I want the ceiling to be as educational as it is beautiful, and I think, due to your outstanding product, it does an excellent job at being both!
Thanks so much for creating these amazing stars. You’ve made for one very happy customer, and a 4-year-old who adores them and will be thrilled to have these in his bedroom for a very long time. The stars are everything your website promises: realistic, long-lasting, and easy to install. They really are the best thing available on the market…by light years! Cheers! David – USA
Marcel, I know it has been forever since I bought these. I finally got the room finished I was remodelling. See the attached pictures. Feel free to use them. I had to send two emails because I am sending the .RAW image files. Thanks again. Amazing product. This surpassed everything I expected and you truly get lost in the night sky in your own bedroom. Jacob – USA
I ordered from you just a couple of weeks ago all the way from Nova Scotia, It’s an incredible product. My sons ceiling looks amazing, absolutely realistic. I’ve taken quite a few photos with a Gopro hero4 and they turned out incredible. Feel free to post them on your website. I’ll probably end up ordering more and loading up the ceiling, I currently only have about a 1/4 patch done and I added some very small glowing planets at his request.
A word about this customer feedback: The planets will be drowning out some or many of the faint/movement stars so if you do this yourself be aware that they will interfere with your night sky.
Hi Marcel, I took these pictures around 5:00 o’clock in the evening EST. the sun was going down. i closed the shades in the room. the ceiling pictures i will have to take when its much darker at night. Thank you for your professional service and for providing such a exceptional product. the different size and smaller stars is really what takes the whole night stars come alive in a realistic scene. I can see why your so busy with orders…
I was not able to get good shots of the ceiling and walls together. The room looks amazing once it got dark here. My wife and I were laying on the floor admiring the depth and color of the stars. It was like star gazing in the middle of a clear sky at night but in the comfort of our own home. We could even set up a tent to camp in the room! 🙂 Thanks again. I will try and send pictures of the ceiling when I have more time. victor – USA
Hey Marcel, Stunning, absolutely amazing 🙂 Thank you very much for this awesome night-sky !!! I’ve attached a picture I took now that I’ve finished setting up the stars, maybe you want to put it on the website 🙂 Great job man!
I’ve put up just 2 strips and it’s amazing. The depth you feel and as your eyes adjust you see more stars, just like in the real night sky. It takes only 5-10 mins per strip and then I just shone the iPhone flashlight on them for a few seconds and it’s wonderful. Thanks for making such a great product; my kids are going to love this. I was also impressed by the packaging, putting them in a tin rather than just wedged between sheets of paper.Thanks, Nicholas – USA
Hi Marcel, Huge thanks for that speedy reply (you must get so many emails) and to be honest I too am quite happy the way they are at the moment, with just the daylight ‘charging’. Perfectly natural. I stopped my car near Goodwood last night (very little light pollution) and killed the lights to check the actual night sky out and was surprised at the similarity. Really fantastic.
My youngest keeps saying “.. I can’t believe he makes them by hand….”, so you really are a wielder of magic over there. They also dig your name ‘Marcel’ as they have started French.Thanks for the tips on the move, shall check them out again tonight and decide. We’re now booked to see ‘Frosty Winter Night Sky’ at the local Chichester Planetarium; you’ve sparked something. Best,Steve – USA