VolVette

I want to improve the lighting in my garage. Is fluorescant or halogen the best way to go? As of now, I have a single car garage with just 1 single, centered bulb on the ceiling. Sad, isn't it? I usually just use halogens and move them around as I work but would like to improve the lighting to improve my painting conditions.

What recommendations can you make?

Thanks,

Stephen

goofygrin

I put two flourescents(sp) in mine... I need to add a couple more, but the garage door is kinda in the way for one of them...

I also added a ceiling fan. It's a lifesaver in the summer.

MasterDave

At the very least get an 8' four bulb flourescent fixture and wire it to your existing wire in the center of your garage. Will be a bit lighter I believe. What I did was to install two light sockets on either front side of the garage and put in a 'Y' connector, and installed two 150 watt flood lights in each one for a total of four. Then I painted the garage ceiling and walls the brightest white I could find and along with the peel & stick black and white tiles on the floor you need :cool: when you're in there now. :thumbs: It's also a one car garage.


[Modified by MasterDave, 1:53 PM 2/28/2003]

IETEK

Flourescents for sure they don't generate as much heat and they take less electricity to operate I would get the cheap 4' jobs from lowe's or Home Depot they are under $10.00 bucks, also the 4' bulbs are cheaper to replace than the 8' bulbs.


IETEK

NHvette

Not in my garage. 7ft ceilings + ceiling fan + a few RPMs will do a number
to my neck and skull. Luckily, heat waves are a decade apart up here.

:seeya

Captain Morgan

If your garage gets cold in the winter, don't get the cheapest fixtures from Lowe's, they'll have trouble lighting during the cold months. Spend about $5-$10 more and get the heavy duty/cold weather type, you'll be glad you did. Now if your garage is heated, then go ahead and get the cheapies. I also think flourescents light much better, they don't use as much electricity, and they also don't get hot.

Flareside

No question, get as many 8' fluorescent fixtures as you can afford. I have the $25 fixtures that Lowes/Home Depot sell, and have never had a problem with them. With 2 75 watt bulbs, they put out WAY more light than my old incandescent bulbs ever did, and I had big 300 watt incandescents.

Before I had heat, my garage used to get down the high 30s and the regular fixtures still worked fine. If your place gets colder than that, go for the higher priced units.

VolVette

Dave,

I took care of some of your suggestions. :D I painted my walls "Super White" and have the tiles... Check it out...

hauk

I have 8 two light 8' flourescents in an all white interior garage,I also have heat and air cond. It gets hot and cold in Fl. and I like to enjoy my garage time. :cheers:

battsup

what do you mean by pel and stick tiles? are they expensive? and can i just install them over my concrete floor?

Ghostrider

The old style fluorescent 4ft lamps ($0.90/lLamp) loose about 30% light output within one year and the problem with cheap "cool-white" lamps is their inferior color rendering that gives a ghostly "white" appearance (spike in the color spectrum) and un-natural colors that you may want avoid. For painting you may want to considered the more natural lighting and higher priced ($6.50/lamp) "warm white" or "daylight" fluorescent lamp types. The cold start or "instant start" magnetic or electronic ballasts are required if your garage gets cold but they burn off the cathode much faster (blackening of anode and cathode) that reduces life-expectancy (about 10,000 hrs) by about 30%.
If I were to re-light my garage I would place on each car side the slightly in-efficient 100-150 Watt "quartz" lamps for best color rendering (as in a paint booths).

BSeery

That is what I did. I installed 2 8' dual bulb fluorescent fixtures and wired them into the excising wiring from the single inca light.

Rich80

Yeah don't buy those Cheapy Fluoresecnts like I did. If I go out there right now and flip on the lights, all three sets only flicker and you can't see a darn thing. They are coming down this spring and the cold weather units are going up..... :cheers:

tersian

I am also curious about the peel and stick tiles, what are they, where did you get them, and what will they stick to, and how well do they stick. I am planning on using this: http://www.bltllc.com/parking-pad.htm but this only covers my funtional working area. I would like something to jazz up the area that I will be walking on.

Also, this is what my garage looks like now, I am doing the ceiling tomorrow, and I was wondering what you guys would suggest about number of lights in my garage.

here's a few horrible pictures.. :banghead:

Stoge

I would go nuts and install at least 4 8' flourescent fixtures. The more the better.

Rolling Thunder

My eyes aren't what they used to be. I have (5) two bulb 4 footers in my 24x24 garage and still want to add 4 more. The garage is heated and the lights work fine year round. Hope to just start over with a new garage in the back yard this summer.

AlwaysWave

I put a few rows of fluorescants up in mine and painted everything white, walls, ceiling, and inside of the double door. Good lighting is just plain smart. No headaches, no extra cords to trip over or get tangled in. You'll be real glad when you're finished with the garage upgrade. :cheers:

hunt4cleanair

Hey Tersian:

I like that floor covering! I was looking at anothr product but it would have run about $1k! There are some great products out there.

On the subject of light, my one car garage is configured with five 4' flourscents. I hve them shaped in a U with two along the sides and one at the front...the hood area. When I turn them on...I've got light! But at times still not enough. Probably the quartz would serve as an adjunct when need for detailed, closeup work.

BB wowbagger

I like to have alot of light. I hate to work in the dark.. :smash: :cheers: :cheers:




[Modified by BB wowbagger, 1:24 PM 3/1/2003]

MasterDave

I went to Home Depot and bought the 1' square peel and stick tiles. Cleaned the concrete floor and stuck 'em down. The UP side is they are easy to clean and if you tear one up you just pull it out and replace it. The DOWN side is you cannot jack your car up without putting a small piece of plywood under the jack. It'll easily tear up a tile. AND they are slippery'r than snot on a doorknob :eek: If you go out there with socks only or slippers you take your life in your hands. Don't ask me how I know this..... :D