Garage, shop lighting design ideas...2400 sq. ft

[Nolift911]

So I know... a topic beat to death but before I pull the trigger I wanted folks to beat up my design idea for my garage/shop/living space.

This garage/shop/office is part of the house, so full HVAC with a loft in the space for an office. Looking for an industrial vibe with lighting. Walls will be white and I have a pitched slope on two sides then a flat area at the top (couldn't build trusses big enough and transport them) for a full pitch.

Pitch starts on each side at 10 foot and goes up from there - flat part is almost 20 feet. Other than the loft, typical garage, two lifts (4 and 2 post) wide open spaces, not much wall space so most of my stuff will be mobile to move around the shop - 3 garage doors that will be full glass, (2) - 10X10 and (1) 10 X 18. then most walls will have floor to ceiling windows on the sides and back.

Couple of pics for reference: this is looking out of the front of the garage - 3 doors, window up top and windows to the right all windows 10 feet.



This is the rear of the garage: one big window on the bottom and one window up top. Both window "banks" will have a wood slider/shutter to cover them.



So here is the lighting plan.

I like the simple look of these in black against a white ceiling:



Which are these:

300/240/200W - Up to 45,000 Lumen LED Round High Bay UFO - Premium LED

PrimeLights LED Round Bay 240W, 31,200 Lumens, 5000K Daylight White, Water Proof, IP-66, UFO Style High Bay, 5 YEAR WARRANTY

www.primelights.com

So the 300 watt/45,000 lumens version, dimmable and I can hang them on a sloped ceiling or flat ceiling.

Recommended layout is 12 and looks like this for complete coverage at 540,000 lumens - about $1900 all in.
I hope this will be bright enough - I can always dim them down but can't brighten them up if I need more.



If folks have used these before would like to know about the outcome -

Thanks -

 

[dudley123]

I am using (3) Prime UFO's in my smaller 900sqft high-bay. Hung roughly @ 16' they're VERY bright.. I think the layout will give you a ton of great lighting with minimal shadows at your heights.

 

[bdbecker]

...I hope this will be bright enough - I can always dim them down but can't brighten them up if I need more...

200+ foot candles will be good for just about any task you can will be undertaking. We've been swapping our production facilities over to those style of UFO lights and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. There have been a few people complaining about how its too bright now, but those are also the same people who complain in the morning that it's too cold in the shop and too warm in the afternoon.

 

[kngelv]

I think your lights are way too bright. 100 FC is plenty bright and your at 227 FC. Also 5000K is very harsh on the eyes. I have these https://www.prolighting.com/h17s.html in my new 24' x 24' with a 12' ceiling. They can output three different lumens and three different color temps. I'm at 4000K and 12000 lumens. It's way less fatiguing than the 5000K lights where I work. I would suggest buying a light meter and taking it to various businesses so you can see the actual FC readouts and see if you can even find a place that bright. It will really help you with your own garage. I recently had to take light readings at my work. The lights for the final inspections booths of brand new vehicles are at 2100 Lux which is 195 FC. These are crazy bright and I don't think you would like it in your garage. Go on YouTube and look at any auto plant tour that shows the vehicles on the final inspection lines. You'll see lights going from up the sides and then angled up and then overhead. Those are at around 200 FC as I mentioned earlier. Take a look and see if that's how you envision your garage. Plus it looks like you will have a ton of natural light coming in through all that glass.

James

 

[strength_and_power]

I think the UFO style light will look a bit odd on that right ride with the steeper pitch. Is your center height 16’ or 20’?
I used 240w UFOs in the center of my shop which is at 20’. Along the sides, about 16’, I used 200w UFOs.
A linear ( rectangular) high bay may be a better option and reduce the possibility of having a “cone of light”
One thing I did was run separate circuits for each row of lights and 2 switches for each row, one switch controlling 3 lights and the other switch, 2 lights which gives a ton of flexibility from “kinda bright” to “ surface of the sun bright”. Looks like you will have a lot of natural light as well.

 

[mm08822]

So the lights have selectable outputs and temps. Assuming you set them all up for 200w, you may still be @ 140 FC which is still A LOT for most purposes. What else is it that you plan on using the space for? Auto repairs would be fine at 80-100FC. Also @5000K would be harsh. The next lower temp is 2700, which is too low. 4000K would be nice IMO.
No where does the link mention dimmable. So you are left with output setting chosen at time of install, I assume. I.E. -selectable only.

No mention of min mounting height in specs. Confirm 16' is within preferred operating range. CRI is 70+. I'll be the pessimist and say that means 71. Are you ok with that or is 80+ a much better choice.......again, it depends on the purpose. How is beam spread determined? What did your lighting plan use? How even is the ft candle intensity at the 2.5' working platform height? Not sure how other beam angles are accomplished.
As a gross exaggeration, you don't want this:



Look at this link for lighting levels: https://www.electricalmarketplace.com/pages/recommended-lighting-levels

I suggest you drop down to the 200w setting.....That is still way over 100FC.

You may also want to pick similar fixtures with higher CRI, lower wattage/dimmable , better temp choices.

AWESOME BUILD BTW!!

 

[Shiftless]

I would suggest buying a light meter and taking it to various businesses so you can see the actual FC readouts and see if you can even find a place that bright. It will really help you with your own garage.

This is excellent advice.
I think you’d be happy with 1/3 of that illumination perhapes with task lighting over workbenches and stationary equipment if any such as lathes or mills.

 

[Shiftless]

Recommendations for hospital operating rooms are 150-200 FC

 

[kngelv]

I just saw @mm08822 post the CRI #. 70 is terrible. Call some other lighting places your getting bad advice from PrimeLights.

James

 

[bdbecker]

I just saw @mm08822 post the CRI #. 70 is terrible...

+1... go for a higher CRI rating.

 

[mm08822]

Econlight has similar fixtures with a variety of options. Cri's in both 70 and 80s, 4K, dimmable and a lighting calculator.

 

[Nolift911]

Thanks for the inputs - these lights are dimmable with a 0-10v switch so I was not necessarily concerned about being too bright. I can see maybe a higher CRI value would be nice. Are there others out there that have a higher CRI and just as much light?

 

[dave*99]

Another thing to consider since there will be lifts in the garage: I have a number of battery and line powered lights I use under my lift. Task lighting is very important. But so is balance in an environment.

I have noticed issues with working in a bright garage and having my eyes adjust to the bright environment and then walking under the car and having to adjust. Feels like darkness. When I emerge from under the car, the garage then feels too bright and I have to adjust again.

100Fc in a garage is a lot. I can't imagine 200 FC.
I don't have numbers on my garage, but:

I have a very even light in my woodshop. 2x4 ft flat panels. CRI 80 Set to 4000K
58 Fc at full blast. I dim them down a bit unless I'm doing fine work.

When designing my lighting a used a light meter app on my phone. I measured other workspaces I liked and worked in previously to understand my needs / preferences.

 

[LopezBart]

Our shop will have 100 Fc of 4000K lighting via 8 x 150W UFOs from Hyperlite . I recently picked up some 5000K contractor lights (also from Hyperlite); you can see them both here in the pic below. I'm planning on task lighting at the lathe & mill since that work requires a lot of light.

 

[Mezz2006]

I am also going to be hitting the ~100fc mark with my lighting. 227fc is a lot! 200w+ at 12ft is probably going to be like spot lights. I just got my first light up (temporarily). Pic is set on 150w, at ~18' high. There will be 14 of of these fixtures installed in my 44'w x 56'l shop in a 4x4 layout.

 

[SouthernIllinois]

68X36X12

I went with 14 of these.
I could have gotten by with 13 but I figured that was bad luck.

​

I shortened the cord and hung them directly from the electrical box (and no they don't get too hot)

 

[dave*99]

68X36X12

I went with 14 of these.
I could have gotten by with 13 but I figured that was bad luck.

​

I shortened the cord and hung them directly from the electrical box (and no they don't get too hot)

Nice friendly shop

 

[Nolift911]

68X36X12

I went with 14 of these.
I could have gotten by with 13 but I figured that was bad luck.

​

I shortened the cord and hung them directly from the electrical box (and no they don't get too hot)

This looks like a nice alternative - are they dimmable? Does the diffuser make a difference?

 

[SouthernIllinois]

This looks like a nice alternative - are they dimmable? Does the diffuser make a difference?

These are not dimmable but I broke the lighting into four switches. If I leave the far row on and turn the rest off I get “bar lighting”.

I think the diffusers make a big difference. Spreads the light out and it doesn’t blind you if you look at them.

 

[dave*99]

These are not dimmable but I broke the lighting into four switches. If I leave the far row on and turn the rest off I get “bar lighting”.

I think the diffusers make a big difference. Spreads the light out and it doesn’t blind you if you look at them.

I suspect the diffusers are a good choice. Especially if the lights are in line of sight as opposed to very very high.

 

[dave*99]

We are privileged to have an expert on the forum that can give good advice on Fc in the garage. @cybrdyke

 

[ericm]

Hey @Nolift911 nice to see your place is coming together. That's quite the framing.

Seems like the lights close to the walls where the ceiling is close to 10' would be too close to the floor for high bay lights.

My shop has two rooms- the main shop and a smaller farm equipment storage room. Wall height is 14'. I used 6 18,000 lumen high bays in the storage side (24x40) and 18 12,000 lumen high bays in the shop side (56x40). Even though the lighting calculator tool said the storage side would average 88 fc and the shop side 91, the storage side is noticeably brighter. And it's not got white walls like the shop side. I don't feel like I need any more while the shop side seems a little dim but acceptable. So far. I went with a lot of less bright units in the shop to get more even lighting but kind of wish I'd gone with the 15k or 18k versions of the same lights.

Once I've actually moved in and are doing actual shop stuff instead of moving in stuff, I may have different ideas.

 

[Nolift911]

Ok - I am back and it's light time - upated pics:







I need operating room bright - I know, I know. Not sure of good specs? - don't want strips, want round, black and cool. What's out there -? My Amazon round lights got shot down.

Also need to be dimmable - so bright, look cool and dimmable. Open to all suggestions.

 

[Codyboy]

I have 10 ufos at 200w 5000k. They are up at about 18 to 23ft. I still need to add in 2 more closer yo that far wall and 4 more where im standing at to take the Pic.
It's a 40x60 and those lights are in a 40x40 area.

 

[Bert_]

68X36X12

I went with 14 of these.
I could have gotten by with 13 but I figured that was bad luck.

​

I shortened the cord and hung them directly from the electrical box (and no they don't get too hot)

I usually love to hate on off brand lighting, but those diffusers look awesome.

Those completely transform a UFO light

 

[Codyboy]

I usually love to hate on off brand lighting, but those diffusers look awesome.

Those completely transform a UFO light

Looks like a light my grandma would have had hanging over a side table next to the plastic covered couch in the 60s.

Also I've seen others comment on how the actual fixture "looks" for a shop.
I don't get the appeal.
As long as it does what you want it to do, why care what it looks like?
If the light is on you can't really see it anyway because its too bright. And im not going to stare into it.

 

[Bert_]

Looks like a light my grandma would have had hanging over a side table next to the plastic covered couch in the 60s.

Also I've seen others comment on how the actual fixture "looks" for a shop.
I don't get the appeal.
As long as it does what you want it to do, why care what it looks like?
If the light is on you can't really see it anyway because its too bright. And im not going to stare into it.

Not the appearance of the fixture itself silly.

Look at the light on the floor, walls and ceiling. WAY better than most with ufo's

 

[Nolift911]

I don't see in the specs where they are dimmable - ? That is a must have.

 

[SouthernIllinois]

I usually love to hate on off brand lighting, but those diffusers look awesome.

Those completely transform a UFO light

I didn’t realize Hyperlite was an off brand. From my research, I thought they were a mainstream brand.

 

[SouthernIllinois]

Looks like a light my grandma would have had hanging over a side table next to the plastic covered couch in the 60s.

Also I've seen others comment on how the actual fixture "looks" for a shop.
I don't get the appeal.
As long as it does what you want it to do, why care what it looks like?
If the light is on you can't really see it anyway because its too bright. And im not going to stare into it.

Yet you just commented on the look….lol

Different strokes for different folks. It my shed, I like the way they light it up and the “look” doesn’t bother me a bit. As a matter of fact, their appearance never crossed my mind until now.

 

[cybrdyke]

I didn’t realize Hyperlite was an off brand. From my research, I thought they were a mainstream brand.

Hyperlite is a make-believe brand rather than an actual manufacturer. Their products are made by contract manufacturers, who's names you'll never know, and then labeled and boxed with Hyperlite logos. They do a good bit of marketing of their name, trying to earn some sort of brand recognition so that they can sell crappy products at a good profit margin. Stay away.
CD

 

[cybrdyke]

Not the appearance of the fixture itself silly.

Look at the light on the floor, walls and ceiling. WAY better than most with ufo's

The diffusers are actually supposed to be there.
If you think back to the old domed highbays, you always had diffusers, either spun aluminum or prismatic acrylic. The aluminum was typically used on higher ceilings to help focus the beam onto the target. The acrylic was used for the opposite reason, to spread the light out as much as possible. Imagine a 400w Metal Halide highbay with just a bare bulb and no diffuser. Yikes.
When LED UFO's came out, they were fairly directional at about 120 degree beams. Almost a cross between the aluminum and the acrylic diffusers, but not as good as either. Most manufacturers still offer both diffusers and we highly recommend them. UFO's are intensely glarey and the diffusers help eliminate that, and the acrylics do a great job of spreading the beam out. You have to make sure to include the diffusers in any lighting calculations that you do.
The cover for the diffusers, as previously pictured, was traditionally there just to catch the glass when a lamp would explode. Falling shards of hot glass is not cool. Used on a new UFO, however, they're only decorative and probably increase the temperature of the diodes which isn't great for them. It looks good, though.
CD

 

[SouthernIllinois]

Hyperlite is a make-believe brand rather than an actual manufacturer. Their products are made by contract manufacturers, who's names you'll never know, and then labeled and boxed with Hyperlite logos. They do a good bit of marketing of their name, trying to earn some sort of brand recognition so that they can sell crappy products at a good profit margin. Stay away.
CD

Gotcha - FWIW, I’ve been very happy with my “crappy” lights regardless of who actually made them.

 

[Bert_]

Gotcha - FWIW, I’ve been very happy with my “crappy” lights regardless of who actually made them.

The lighting looks really great. The gotcha will be the lifespan. A lot of the cheaper brands are only rated 50,000hrs. For occasional hobby use that may be fine

 

[LopezBart]

50,000hrs

8hrs/day x 40 hrs/week x 52 weeks means 3 years of full time use. If it's only on the weekends, that's 7.5 years w/ no time off for holidays, chores, etc.

What is a more expensive brand rated at, and how much do they cost?

 

[CGohring]

8hrs/day x 40 hrs/week x 52 weeks means 3 years of full time use. If it's only on the weekends, that's 7.5 years w/ no time off for holidays, chores, etc.

What is a more expensive brand rated at, and how much do they cost?

not to nit-pick, but that should be x 5 days/week giving you 24 years.....

 

[LopezBart]

not to nit-pick, but that should be x 5 days/week giving you 24 years.....

yup... oops. Ok, I'll not worry about the "paltry" lifetime... they'll quite likely outlast me.

 

[cybrdyke]

What is a more expensive brand rated at, and how much do they cost?

FYI
Cree: 100,000 hours @L70 $95
Maxlite: 100,000 hours @L70 $80
RAB: 100,000 hours @L70 $139
There are many others that are even higher, particularly the square ones that reach up to 200,000 hours @L70.
CD

 

[Bert_]

8hrs/day x 40 hrs/week x 52 weeks means 3 years of full time use. If it's only on the weekends, that's 7.5 years w/ no time off for holidays, chores, etc.

What is a more expensive brand rated at, and how much do they cost?

100,000hr is usually the minimum I see for fixtures. Led drop in bulbs are usually rated 50,000 but are easy to change.

For reference a regular T8 fluorescent bulb is usually rated around 30,000hrs

 

[Nolift911]

Here is another alternative - the primelights guys are pushing CRI 85+ - dimmable

https://www.primelights.com/products/41000-lumen-led-ufo-high-bay-warehouse-shop-lighting?variant=42616300666928