Anyone using pot lights in their garage?

[Alberta_BMW]

Hey guys, I have been lurking here for a long time while I have been planning and building my 30X22 garage. I have searched but haven't found what I am looking for. I am thinking about putting pot lighting in my garage to give it a really clean showroom look. I have calculated I need 18 pot lights and I was wondering if you guys could post pictures of your set ups with pot lights so I can feel like I am making the right decision. The garage is 30 feet wide and 22 feet deep and has a 16x8 and 9x8 door with just under 10 foot ceilings. It is a detached garage.Thanks guys!

Alex

 

[Norcal]

When you have a thread refering to "pot lights" it's a sure sign the poster is from Canada. There are a few people here who have used recessed cans in their garages, hopefully they will chime in.

 

[ChargedUp!]

I've always heard of them as pot lights too.
This is a good question though because I was thinking the same thing.

 

[Alberta_BMW]

When you have a thread refering to "pot lights" it's a sure sign the poster is from Canada. There are a few people here who have used recessed cans in their garages, hopefully they will chime in.

LOL I was wondering why I couldn't find anything when I was searching! Thanks!

 

[ddawg16]

I have 16 6" recessed cans in the lower floor of my garage.....arranged in 3 zones, front, back (left & right). Right now I'm using 23w CFL's. Going on 4 years and only one has failed (and it was used)...

I wish more would fail so I could have the same color....most of them are 2700K (warm white). I prefer bright white (4000-5000K)...

In retrospect, I wish I had put more in the front....specically where the garage door is...I didn't put any above the door when it's open...at night when the door is down, I could use a couple more lights there for tasks.

You will here a lot of nay sayers about CFL's. Yes, a T8 bulb will give you 'slightly' more light per watt....maybe 5%....but, I do a lot of wood working and I don't want anything hanging down when I'm swinging a chunk of wood around. Additionally, I have a lot more flexibility with CFL's....(and LED's later) than you do with tubes. A 32w T8 only comes in 32W. I can get CFL's with the Edison base up to 40W....that is a lot of light.....

Other than putting in a couple of extra lights as noted above....I would not do it any different.

More pics in the link in my signature...

 

[Notch1988]

My last garage was a 24x40 and I installed 30 pot lights. The lighting was good but my current build I will be installing fluorescent tubes. The pot lights were very expensive and time consuming. Factor in the fixture, the trim and the big blue vapor barrier boxes and you're at $30+ per pot. I also finished my garage with plywood so cutting out 30 round holes in plywood was very time consuming when finishing the ceiling as well as cutting out and sealing around all those vapor barrier boxes. It was a clean look but not worth the money and effort IMO.

 

[djjsr]

If your ceiling is insulated, be sure you use IC rated fixtures.

 

[Full Throttle]

Interesting, thought for sure we were gonna see some pot grow rooms in this thread

 

[DekeT]

I thought you were buying used "grow" lights from pot farmers. There is a market around here for them. Disappointed now.

 

[Alberta_BMW]

You guys are great! Growing pot would be more profitable!

 

[Steevo]

I've always heard of them as pot lights too.
This is a good question though because I was thinking the same thing.

Yeah, well, there isn't much difference between Canada and MN.
I know, my daughter lives in MN.

 

[softailgarage]

Interesting, thought for sure we were gonna see some pot grow rooms in this thread

Oh hell yeah, new thread, "show us your grow rooms"

 

[FLgarageDreamer]

not to thread jack but attempting to learn. Is there greater power draw with a CFL as opposed to a T8?

 

[maxspeed96ct]

I used 5" recessed lights , also known as pot lights in my garage . I love it , looks great , and shine a good amount of light . I have a thread kicked around tho forum somewhere . Check it out

 

[pitterpat]

Good idea about using pot lights and not have to worry about hitting them with wood or anything else.

I'm wondering if I could use them in an open ceiling? My ceiling in my garage is the same open ceiling as in the attic of your 2 story garage. I have a garage with a hip roof so my ceiling is not that high. Will look into being able to use "pot" recessed lights in my garage. Also it would not be that expensive since I could use new construction lights because I am not going to close in my ceiling, so I will not have the expense of drywall, cutting around the cans or even those rings.
Nice job!

I have 16 6" recessed cans in the lower floor of my garage.....arranged in 3 zones, front, back (left & right). Right now I'm using 23w CFL's. Going on 4 years and only one has failed (and it was used)...

I wish more would fail so I could have the same color....most of them are 2700K (warm white). I prefer bright white (4000-5000K)...

In retrospect, I wish I had put more in the front....specically where the garage door is...I didn't put any above the door when it's open...at night when the door is down, I could use a couple more lights there for tasks.

You will here a lot of nay sayers about CFL's. Yes, a T8 bulb will give you 'slightly' more light per watt....maybe 5%....but, I do a lot of wood working and I don't want anything hanging down when I'm swinging a chunk of wood around. Additionally, I have a lot more flexibility with CFL's....(and LED's later) than you do with tubes. A 32w T8 only comes in 32W. I can get CFL's with the Edison base up to 40W....that is a lot of light.....

Other than putting in a couple of extra lights as noted above....I would not do it any different.

More pics in the link in my signature...