Different Types of Garage Lighting Ideas

Coming to Garage Lighting ideas,When most household garages come to mind, you don’t picture airy, light and spacious locations. In fact, garages are usually thought of as cold, damp, dark and depressing rooms that are designed for storing mechanical objects and tools. Stick the car in, lock, move along.

However, this doesn’t have to be the case because it takes something as small and simple as changing the lighting for completely transforming a garage into a great workspace or even an extra bedroom.

A poorly lit garage can be difficult to navigate, it can cause you eyestrain if you are doing a DIY project and, also leave you vulnerable to injuries and falling objects.

If you are wondering what kind of lighting would suit your garage, here are some different garage lighting ideas for you to consider:

Overhead lighting is not the only option

There are three categories of artificial lighting that you can find; task, ambient, and accent lighting, and you should include all three forms in your garage for the best results. Task lighting is bright and is aimed at storage and work areas for providing increased visibility during organizational tasks and detail-oriented projects.

Ambient lighting, on the other hand, refers to soft overhead lighting, which is used for illuminating walls and floors. Usually we think of inside the house with this kind of lighting.

Accent lighting is the middle ground and shines a light on showpieces that you want to emphasize. As garages are often multi-use spaces, it would be best to use a combination of all three kinds of lighting for getting the best results.

Select fixtures based on function

If you are looking at ambient lighting fixtures, they comprise of garage door openers with built-in lights and also linear or round flush-mount lights, which can be affixed to the ceiling.

Accent lighting fixtures include scones that can be mounted to the walls and pendants that are extended from the ceiling.

In the case of task lighting fixtures, you will find shop lights that hang from the ceiling by a chain or trouble lights that are attached with a hook and wire and can be moved and mounted, as required.

Get bulbs with the right wattage

You will first need to assess the light output you need for your garage and this will depend on the size of the space as well as the purpose for which it is used. Once you know what light output you require, you can figure out the number of bulbs that will be able to fulfill these requirements and then the wattage needed can be calculated.

Categorize your items

You should put all the items stored in your garage in categories. Some of the common categories that you can use include recreational and sports equipment, seasonal décor, recycling, tools, garden gear, automotive and camping gear.

You need to evaluate things, such as paint and luggage, and see whether they can be stored elsewhere. In this case it is advised that you first organize the rest of your house before you tackle your garage. This makes it easier for you to relocate your garage items inside the house.

Get LED or fluorescent bulbs instead of incandescent bulbs

Heavy electric bills are a common problem and one of the best ways to reduce them is by lighting your garage with fluorescent or energy-efficient LED bulbs. The beauty of these bulbs is that they can provide the same light output as incandescent bulbs but at a lower wattage. For instance, a 14-watt fluorescent bulb and a 10-watt LED bulb will deliver the same light output as that of a 60-watt incandescent bulb.

Opt for T5 or T8 fluorescent or LED tubes

Apart from the classic pear-shaped bulbs, you can also find LED and fluorescent bulbs in the form of tubes for casting light over a wider area that are comparable to standard bulbs. You can find tube shape bulbs in varying diameters, which include T5, T8, and T12. If you are going with this option, it is best to select T5 and T8 because they are a lot more energy-efficient as opposed to the older T12 bulbs. In addition, these bulbs also come with electronic ballasts i.e. transformers, which reduce flickering in the event of the temperature of the garage falling below 50 degrees or the bulbs getting bumped.

Arrange the fixtures based on their function and type

The purpose of task lighting is to cast down onto the storage area or work surface in a way that reduces glare. Thus, shop lights should be mounted on the ceiling so they are hanging a couple of inches behind where you sit or stand to work so that the light cast reflects away from you rather than into your eyes.

As far as ambient lighting is concerned, it has to cast light evenly across the garage floor. Thus, the flush-mount fixtures should be installed at an equal distance on the ceiling. Accent lighting pendants should be placed directly above the object you wish to highlight.

Buy bulbs with a high CRI

When you want your garage lighting to render the colors of things in the garage realistically, you need to shop for bulbs that have a Color Rendering Index (CRI) of 85 to 100. Put simply, this is a measure of how well the full spectrum of colors can be rendered by the bulb. A value of 100 is the CRI of daylight at midday.

Put in motion sensors

Connecting motion sensors to your garage lighting can reduce your electricity consumption, which of course is a great way of saving money. This means that the lights will shut off automatically after a certain time period if movement in the space cannot be detected.

The only thing you need to do is buy a motion sensor that’s compatible with the light bulbs you plan to use in the garage. You can wire the motion sensor to the light fixtures in the garage with the use of electrical cables.

Add some natural light

If you have the time and budget for remodeling your garage, you should consider putting in a skylight or window. The addition of natural light to a garage can boost the overall brightness and warmth of the space and can also be handy for reducing your electric bill as you don’t have to turn on ALL the lights during the day.

Philips Hue lights

These lamps are an excellent example of how much technology has advanced over the years as you are able to control these lights with your tablet or smartphone. You can find them in a variety of colors, brightness, and shades and you can also make the switch from party mode to workshop mode in just a matter of seconds.

You can use any one or a combination of these garage lighting ideas for brightening up your space. Have fun.

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