# Garage/Workshop Lighting



## mcglynn (Jul 27, 2011)

Hi Guys,

Currently building a workshop/garage space & wanting some ideas or experience on lighting.

Its 6.6m long and 4.4m wide, 8/9ft eaves and 4 m peak. I plan on fitting a lift to carry out my own mechanical work and also to complete some detailling work in there from time to time.

I had thought about 8 of 5ft high frequency single t8 58w flourescents, due to its occasional use and the cheapness of flourescent tubes etc I dont think I will bother with an LED setup.

Any ideas on lighting ideas other than what I have suggested? The thought was 4 on the roof & 4 on the sides - 2 on each wall. I can order 10 with not much more cost due to the bulk discounts so open to ideas.










Still a work in progress but may fire up a thread in the near future!


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## nick_mcuk (Jan 4, 2008)

I woudl go for strip lights and spots.

I went with 4 5' strip lights (see photo)


with 4 120w Halogen flood lights (See photo)


I did some detailing on the 205 a couple of weekends back and it was absolutely spot on light wise...


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## robby71 (Jun 4, 2006)

I fitted replacement LED tubes which fit into the standard flourescent hosings - a lot brighter, plastic (so wont break) and cheaper to run - can be found cheap on ebay


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## mcglynn (Jul 27, 2011)

I dont think ill fit LED due to the cost vs saving atm, not really worth it - can get 6000K 'daylight' tubes which was the original plan.



nick_mcuk said:


> I woudl go for strip lights and spots.
> 
> I went with 4 5' strip lights (see photo)
> 
> ...


What sort of tubes are these? Colour, qty & size?

Like the idea of the floodlights too to save lugging a worklight about - id hazard a guess at it being tricky to get 'light reflection' shots with the halogen focused due to their position though. Maybe not?

Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk


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## nick_mcuk (Jan 4, 2008)

Gheezer said:


> IMO Diffused LED strips are the way forward however locate them length ways down the sides of the car 'bay' rather than over the top to reduce shadowing. If you are feeling flush inter link white white strips with blue white strips to get a colour change from stark white to softer blue.


I dont get any shadowing from my setup if you space them out correctly and evenly with not too much of a distance between them.

I debated the diffused vs non and tbh the non were brighter.


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## mcglynn (Jul 27, 2011)

Sorry asking silly questions with extra pints on board.

So you have 4 58w tubes nick - What colour are they?

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## nick_mcuk (Jan 4, 2008)

mcglynn said:


> I dont think ill fit LED due to the cost vs saving atm, not really worth it - can get 6000K 'daylight' tubes which was the original plan.
> 
> What sort of tubes are these? Colour, qty & size?
> 
> ...


Not had any issues with getting reflections to check work...I do still use my "mobile" halogen spot for giving bright light from a low level.

I think I might have a reflection shot but cant access Photobucket from work.



mcglynn said:


> Sorry asking silly questions with extra pints on board.
> 
> So you have 4 58w tubes nick - What colour are they?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk


They are these from wickes...

Wickes-5ft-58W Switch Start Fluorescent Fitting Tube


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## Bero (Mar 9, 2008)

I've just done a similar sized garage (7 x 6m) link  I used 6 x 5ft twin fluorescent high frequency lights. After I ordered them i found an online tool that gives guidance on lumens/lux/candles/light thingmys per square meter. My setup is very close, but slightly over the top end of the range.

8 strip lights in a slightly smaller area may be overkill.


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## organisys (Jan 3, 2012)

Guys, I do lighting design professionally. A few rules of thumb:

A grid/array layout is usually best.

Use more fittings of lower output rather than a few of a high output.

A diffused fitting gives less glare

4000k colour temperature is good for general use and working.

Regarding LED vs Flu. It's likely LED is not worthwhile currently in a garage (occasional use) The up front cost is not going to be offset quickly by any running costs (typically 60-80% of the electricity usage).

If you buy cheap LED fittings they will fail earlier.

Choose High Frequency ballast (HF) Fluorescent as these flicker less and operate much better at low temps. (better in a garage!).

For swirl spotting / working you will almost certainly need decent task based lighting as well as general lighting, such as Halide or LED Floods.

If you are interested enough to look into Lux levels (lumen per m sq.) then aim for 300+ which is a level similar to an office environment.


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## mcglynn (Jul 27, 2011)

Bero,

Thanks for the help. 

With mine, i plan on placing lights on to the walls as well as the roof (which is 4m @ the peak, quite high). I also will be running each flourescent off a seperate switch - have x2 4gang 2way switches to fit & wire - a pain perhaps initially to wire but quite often i wont need an array of them on.

Im worried that when i eventually get my lift in that this will cause dark sreas or shadows & ideally would like the underside of any cars lifted to be as well lit up as possible to rid the need for torches as much as i can.

Organisys,

Cheers for that! Few questions if you dont mind as i still havent placed the order.

What do you mean by grid ir array arrangement?

I was thinking of 'cool white' which i think is in around then 4000k mark.

I have halogen worklights which i use for swirl spotting and i am intending on making one of the home made 'sun guns' also. For the meantime, it wont be primarily detailing space, but will double up as a mechanical workshop also.

I have been looking at cheap 5ft 58w tubes, high frequency and covered/ip65 rated, I am unsure if they are diffused or not though. Will paste a link shortly.

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## organisys (Jan 3, 2012)

By grid pattern I mean in uniform rows and columns, like a chess board

'Mid' White is around 4000K, I wouldn't go any cooler than this as it can start to feel a bit harsh.

Diffused means the plastic cover is lightly 'frosted' and you can't see the bare light source/lamp.


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## Bero (Mar 9, 2008)

No problem. I think it will be difficult to light the under side of a car with lamps on the wall.

Battery powered magnetic lights may be better for this task?

Wire the lights in whatever way makes sense for their use. One for each unit may be overkill? Think about how the garage will be used and the light you will need for each task. Having to fiddle with 8 different switches when I come in would be worse than having too may lights on!

I wired 2 ceiling lights at the back on one switch for using the work benches. One that switches on the other 4 ceiling lights for working on cars. And the small workbench lights on a 2 way circuit (can be switched on while standing at the bench, and switched off at the door). oh, and one for the PIR floodlight above the door.




Are there any situations you will want one light on, or


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