ANY SUGGESTIONS regarding NEW GARAGE CEILING LIGHTING for my NEW 24x30 garage?? It's gonna have VAULTED CEILINGS, not flat.
Garage lighting recommendations needed!!!
- Thread starter 8stackhemi
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I went with 4' twin bulb fluorescents but changed the bulbs to LED and really like them!
If you finish the walls and ceiling in white it will make a huge difference in brightness. That means less light fixtures.
Looking at LED's right now.........decisions, decisions!
MIKESPOLARA
Well-Known Member
LED are the best
The walls & ceiling will be white, for sure! Another thing i'm tryig (HOPE I'm doing the right thing here!) is using Hardi Board T1-11 design wall boards for walls & ceiling, instead of drywall. WHY? I wanted something different & hope i made the right decision! Was gonna use plain cedar T1-11 but decided it would be too much of a rough finish (for dust) & wasn't sure it would look good in white.
My 36 x 42 is all drywall and texture finished painted a semi gloss Oyster color I believe. If I was to do it again I would consider metal.
That's what I did in mine. Put white metal roofing facing down on the trusses and painted the walls white. Turned what was a cave into an operating room. I started with fluorescents but have slowly converted to LEDs. What a difference.
JMO but I would put a single row of 8' LEDs about half way up the ceiling on each side from end to end. Would be like daylight in there all the time. I put 2 8' LEDs directly over my work bench and it's like an operating table. Make sure you get LEDs with the frosted diffuser, not the clear diffuser, they will hurt your eyes.
MIKESPOLARA
Well-Known Member
I would suggest the HID high bay style LED fixtures instead of the long tube. I use 150w which only cost about $75 ea. Mounted at 12ft they cast a 360 degree very bright light in about a 30ft circular pattern , you can't look at them directly. 3 would light up your place brightly. I took a picture but am having trouble with the timne to download to my email. The camera takes away much of the brightness.
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sam dupont
Well-Known Member
How are LED's holding up for people? I bought an expensive bulb for my reading lamp advertised to outlast incandescent by many times. Less than a year later, it started flickering and I put an incandescent back in
I mounted those LEDs over my work bench about 4 years ago and just leave them on all the time so there is always lights on in my shop. Made no difference in the power usage at all, and have not lost one yet. KOW!!!
MIKESPOLARA
Well-Known Member
You're going to jail
Exactly what I did. Have a pitched ceiling like yours for my lift and they are perfect.
Thrashingcows
Well-Known Member
I went with T8's florescence in my shop...but each 8' fixture runs 4' bulbs so I can easily convert them to LED. I will suggest it to you but have your lighting on multiple switched circuits so you don't have to have them all on every time you're in the shop. My shop is 32x48 with a flat ceiling and I have 3 circuits with four T8's in each one on the long side. Most of the time I just run the one circuit lights above the bench and the main man door.
Those would be my last choice. LED tubes all the way.
MIKESPOLARA
Well-Known Member
Your money to spend
73HEMI_RR_GTX
Well-Known Member
Since my ceiling height in my garage is 16ft. I went with (8) 4 bulb 4ft T5 (hi output) high bay fluorescent fixtures. Lit up my 20ft X 80ft garage with ease. I used those lights for about 5 years with no issues or failures. But I decided to go with LEDs because I was right on the limit of my 20 amp rating on the lighting circuit containing 3 way switches. and LEDs draw much less amperage and are more cost efficient. So, I decided to change out my fluorescent bulbs using LED T5 Hi output direct wire (which bypasses/removes the ballast) bulbs. I'm going on 2 years with the LEDs and no regrets.
My suggestion: LED direct wire fixtures and bulbs. either T8 or T5 (hi output)
LED Ready High Bay Fixtures | 1000Bulbs.com
My suggestion: LED direct wire fixtures and bulbs. either T8 or T5 (hi output)
LED Ready High Bay Fixtures | 1000Bulbs.com
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