Garage lighting recommendations needed!!!

[3sloppydogs]

As many LED as you can. You will appreciate more light especially as you get older

 

[8stackhemi]

As many LED as you can. You will appreciate more light especially as you get olderView attachment 1515411View attachment 1515412View attachment 1515413

Amen! Best advice ever!!!!!!!!!! Thank you EVERYONE!!!!!!

 

[kiwigtx]

Not sure think E26 bases are common. Super bright.

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Stay away from those type of fittings - the lampholders are prone to heat problems...and premature burnout.

Stick with either LED Hi-bay fittings - or a long run of linear LED 'batten' fittings. I fitted out my friend's factory a year ago - replaced all the crappy old flourescents....only used six hi-bay fittings - it was like daylight by comparison. Even in the depths of winter it was great lighting. Cheap enough now also - it's the installation cost that creeps up.

From this ---

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[pnora]

Your money to spend

True. I wanted a good look and quality lighting. I find it best to spend it once even if it may be more. For what its worth my 36 x 42 shop has 11 8 foot commercial fixtures and quality Sylvania florescent 8 foot tubes. I did this in 2000 and have only replaced 1 tube in 23 years.

Here is something to think about if on a budget. Electrical contractors are always doing commercial upgrades. They are removing quality fixtures that are outdated and energy hogs. They end up in a scrap yard. These fixtures can be updated to LED'S. Point is if you ask around you might find them for little to nothing and do the upgrade.

 

[69L48Z27]

@8stackhemi I have a garage nearly identical to what you‘re building. As mentioned, finish the walls and paint them white. For lighting I’m going to go against the consensus. I detail cars and fluorescent still seems superior to some of the LED for ‘walking the light’ across paint. For some reason I don’t get the same effect from LED. Just my preference for a very specific task. Nice garage BTW! Scissor truss was a good choice for me as well. Keeps the building low enough for codes but high enough for a lift. Also if you do lift make sure you put lights where they’ll cast under and not make hard shadows. As mentioned before, the more you have the better.

 

[8stackhemi]

Also if you do lift make sure you put lights where they’ll cast under and not make hard shadows. As mentioned before, the more you have the better.

Are you referring to placing lights on the walls too, like in paint booths?

 

[BSB67]

The commercial suppliers/manufacturers have really good programs available on-line. You will have to dig around to find them, and spend a little time using them. I'm really glad I did. I wanted even 150 foot-candle lighting at 4 ft off the floor everywhere. I ended up with more fixtures than what four different lighting "professionals" recommended. I used the Linear LED lighting type fixtures. The specific of your situation matters.

 

[73HEMI_RR_GTX]

True. I wanted a good look and quality lighting. I find it best to spend it once even if it may be more. For what its worth my 36 x 42 shop has 11 8 foot commercial fixtures and quality Sylvania florescent 8 foot tubes. I did this in 2000 and have only replaced 1 tube in 23 years.

Here is something to think about if on a budget. Electrical contractors are always doing commercial upgrades. They are removing quality fixtures that are outdated and energy hogs. They end up in a scrap yard. These fixtures can be updated to LED'S. Point is if you ask around you might find them for little to nothing and do the upgrade.

I agree,
That's what I did for the garage I built when I lived in Tucson. I bought used take out fluorescent fixtures from a store owner that upgraded their lighting. If I remember correctly, I bought (30) 4ft, 4 bulb fluorescent fixtures with bulbs for $5.00 a piece. I kept half for my garage and sold the rest for $10.00 each to guys at work that wanted to upgrade their lights.

 

[8stackhemi]

Awesome!

 

[GTXDAN]

I agree,
That's what I did for the garage I built when I lived in Tucson. I bought used take out fluorescent fixtures from a store owner that upgraded their lighting. If I remember correctly, I bought (30) 4ft, 4 bulb fluorescent fixtures with bulbs for $5.00 a piece. I kept half for my garage and sold the rest for $10.00 each to guys at work that wanted to upgrade their lights.View attachment 1515702View attachment 1515704

Same thing me and a buddy did while working at the airport in ATL back in the 90s. The company leased an old Eastern airline building and renovated it for our use and threw away a whole dumpster full of 8" fluorescent fixtures. We hauled off 25 lights. Enough to do my shop and his both. I've been converting them to LED a little at a time. This happens all the time, you just need to be in the right place at the right time, and have a good connection.

 

[8stackhemi]

just need to be in the right place at the right time, and have a good connection.

Maybe i'll get lucky!

 

[5.7 hemi]

I now have 14 UFO High Bay LED lights in my shop. They put out 14k Lumens and draw 1.2 amps each. And my ceiling fan is 10ft with 9 speeds.

 

[gkent]

flush-mount gimbal LEDs - lots of them !! Dirt cheap, bright light, low energy consumption, virtually indestructable (unlike a florescent bulb when you hit it)

These things ... dirt cheap online !!

 

[Nxcoupe]

If you look in my garage build thread, I used 8' LED lights I bought off amazon in packs of 10 for about 16 bucks each. Look at the wattage and get the 110 to 120 watt ones, they are much, much brighter. Cheap and easy to wire up. Buy 20 of them and it'll burn you're retinas. Won't be a dark spot in the shop.

 

[gkent]

Look at the wattage and get the 110 to 120 watt ones,

Voltage doesn't matter - ALL LEDs run on low voltage, the transformer is either internal or external. The nice thing about the external box is that electrical codes accept these instead of having to install octagon boxes. And should a light ever burn out, get damaged, etc they're a breeze to change.

 

[69L48Z27]

Are you referring to placing lights on the walls too, like in paint booths?

No, I just plastered the ceiling. I use portable light if I need it. wanted to keep as much wall space as possible.

 

[WileE]

Anything but NOT FLOURESCENT BULBS !!! in recent years, they've gone to absolute suck, burning out very quickly. I changed a few years ago to LED.

 

[Islandkent]

No, I just plastered the ceiling. I use portable light if I need it. wanted to keep as much wall space as possible.

Can never have too much shelving.

 

[Scott Engelhardt]

These are really bright