New 20'x50'x16' Garage Needs Lights

[Kenswheels]

Hello everyone!

Took 57 years but I'm finally getting my big boy garage! It'll be 20' x 50' x 16'H and I have no idea how to light it! I like to detail show cars and need to see what I'm doing. I'll have a movable 4 post lift to help with the bending over.

Any ideas/directions to look would be highly appreciated!

 

[PhysicsDude]

Take a look at the thread "The Best Light Fixture Ever!" sticky at the top of this forum.

It'll at least get you pointed in the right direction. I am of the opinion that you should figure out how many lumens you want, and see how many 2-bulb 4' LED fixtures it takes to get there. Then find a few options/brands and price it out. Also depends on how your ceiling is setup.

I would avoid going recessed can lighting or using "corn cob" screw-in light bulbs, they can appear cheap or enticing, but I don't think they're the way to go unless you have a specific reason for wanting them.

 

[Kenswheels]

Thanks Dude.

There is a ton of info!

I like the look of the high bay fixtures, and the apparent need for fewer of them.

I plan on having half the space used for a double lift with 2 cars side-by-side and the rest an RV. I was thinking of 3 rows of lights with separate controls for the 2 halves.

Now to figure out how many and the spacing between each and from the walls.

The technical jargon is a bit much for me. Any help on a simple plan would be highly prized!

 

[Shiftless]

Congrats on getting your new work space. I am stuck with a mere 20x20.

You are building a garage only 20 feet deep and will use it to detail cars?
You won’t have room for anything at all around the walls. How much space do you need for working on the front and the back of the show cars?

For lighting you might also consider having some lights up on the side walls as well as the ceiling. Flat edge lit LED panel lights are great for that purpose. Paint walls and ceilings white for maximum reflectivity and better illumination of surfaces.

 

[cybrdyke]

Ken, you will probably find a very similar sized layout in the "Lighting Fixture Layout Collections" Sticky. It will be your best resource for figuring out how many fixtures and how to space them.
At 16' you are in the range of a lower powered highbay. Think about 10,000 - 12,000 lumens per fixture. More than that will be too much.

 

[cybrdyke]

you should figure out how many lumens you want,

No, that wont work.
Maybe you mean "figure out how many foot-candles you want" ?

 

[Kenswheels]

So you are building a garage only 20 feet deep and will use it to detail cars?

Thanks.

Actually, it is 20 feet Wide and 50 feet Deep. The ceiling and wall will be white.

I am open to side lighting if that's best.

 

[cybrdyke]

Painters use side lights all the time. Some detail shops too. It works good for that. But it's task lighting and doesn't add to the overall illumination of your space. I wouldn't include it in your calculations for general lighting.
CD

 

[Kenswheels]

No, that wont work.
Maybe you mean "figure out how many foot-candles you want" ?

Thanks CD.

This is actually where I'm lost.

How many FC's do I want? I'm no professional, but my aging eyes need all the help they can get! Also, I'd like to avoid too much shadowing.

 

[cybrdyke]

Doing detailing and auto work, most folks shoot for 100 fc. If you're eyes are really old, 120 fc wouldn't be too much.
That's a lot of light to have when you're NOT doing detailing, though. These days, most highbays are dimmable, so you should think about taking advantage of that feature. You can also run separate circuits for different areas of the garage. My WAG is that you're gonna be looking at 18 fixtures +/- , but a layout is what you need to be sure.

 

[Kenswheels]

Doing detailing and auto work, most folks shoot for 100 fc. If you're eyes are really old, 120 fc wouldn't be too much.
That's a lot of light to have when you're NOT doing detailing, though. These days, most highbays are dimmable, so you should think about taking advantage of that feature. You can also run separate circuits for different areas of the garage. My WAG is that you're gonna be looking at 18 fixtures +/- , but a layout is what you need to be sure.

Once again...Thank you!

Do you know of any layout tools you would recommend?

 

[cybrdyke]

Once again...Thank you!

Do you know of any layout tools you would recommend?

No. The learning curve is usually too long. (I'm impatient). I'd ask someone to do a layout for you.
Some guys have tried to learn Dialux. It's free.
CD

 

[pgk]

I just did our garage last year with 2 twin bulb 120 v no ballast LED 4' fixtures, I ended up buying from Bee's Lighting https://beeslighting.com/ Our garage is a 2 1/2 car ended up putting up 12 fixtures, I detail cars on side and what a difference it made. I believe Bee's only sell in case lots but their pricing was better than a few other places I had checked.

Pete

 

[Perrorojo]

I'd go with 6000k LED T8 style. I'll never go back to conventional florescent or even the Mercury Vapor again.