Help finding lighting/unistrut product

[FullMetalTrousers]

For those interested, this is a reddit user that posted their shop, I think he did an awesome job.

I'd like to copy his lighting. This is unistrut with attached lighting.

Can anyone help me find the exact unistrut parts being used? I think the options for lighting will be a bit easier, but I've not done this.

Any Unistrut advice is appreciated!

https://i.imgur.com/jNEP0Y6.jpg

 

[FullMetalTrousers]

Post 3.

Warming up, I'm not a bot

 

[FullMetalTrousers]

Post 4 in 3...2..1

 

[FullMetalTrousers]

Post5

 

[FullMetalTrousers]

https://i.imgur.com/jNEP0Y6.jpg

 

[shoot summ]

Link isn't working

 

[FullMetalTrousers]

https://imgur.com/jNEP0Y6

 

[FullMetalTrousers]

Link isn't working

Try that, thanks for the heads up

 

[manwithtools]

Simple uni strut with EMT conduit between 4" octagon boxes, nothing unique there.

Go to any supply house that carries uni-strut with sketch of what you want to do, they will help you with no problem.

It seams unnecessary to have the uni-strut, octagon boxes mount just fine to wood and EMT will connect them just fine.

Seems like money spent for no good reason - unless you want that exact look.

 

[Gummi Bear]

I see strut (likely standard slotted)

Hung with all thread, ⅜ most likely. The threaded rod passes through the strut, and you sandwich it with a nut and washer for support.


Fixtures are on 4-0 boxes, probably supported with a spring nut and a ¼ x20 bolt. ½” EMT conduit. Minerallac straps for conduit support

You’ll want a flat 90* bracket at the corner to keep your strut from swinging. Snap cone nuts or spring nuts into the strut to bolt into.

It’s a style of installation like I see in Chipotle stores.



I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...

Henry David Thoreau

 

[FullMetalTrousers]

Simple uni strut with EMT conduit between 4" octagon boxes, nothing unique there.

Go to any supply house that carries uni-strut with sketch of what you want to do, they will help you with no problem.

It seams unnecessary to have the uni-strut, octagon boxes mount just fine to wood and EMT will connect them just fine.

Seems like money spent for no good reason - unless you want that exact look.

Thank you! It's a garage that's approximately 22x22 and I'm in Texas, so suffice to say it gets a hell of a lot of reflected sunlight. Which is to say my light needs are specific to just having more directed light over a work bench.

I park two cars in routinely, one a Toyota Land Cruiser, which I work on a bit and I expect to have another soon. I need more light in the front of the garage, the rest I really don't think is that important. Or rather, when i need more light, I work in the day and simply open the garage regardless.

I have a popcorn ceiling in mine that can't be raised as the attic is directly above, thus the mounts on mine will be different, but I think a track lighting system in addition to overhead lighting on the workspace will be plenty sufficient. We have enough problems with mosquitoes and bugs that I'm not that motivated to make the garage overly magnified.

The style and manner of looks 100 pct better in my opinion than anything that is meant for a home interior.

Again, thanks for the help!

 

[FullMetalTrousers]

I see strut (likely standard slotted)

Hung with all thread, ⅜ most likely


Fixtures are on 4-0 boxes, probably supported with a spring nut. ½” EMT conduit. Minerallac straps for conduit support


It’s a style of installation like I see in Chipotle stores.



I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...

Henry David Thoreau

I'm near you at DFW, what's the best place in DFW area for unistrut?

 

[Gummi Bear]

A local guy, nice!




You can get all that stuff at Home Depot, in the electrical section. Nuts and washers in hardware.

Nothing too exotic.

The fixtures are just basic “keyless” type, and a bulb.



I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...

Henry David Thoreau

 

[FullMetalTrousers]

yeah, I owned a property near Lamar and 30 but the garage was too small

Ah, I've seen a lot of unistrut shelving and such, was just never aware that it was sold at HomeDepot. It's a platform with so many options, the necessary configuration was simply above my paygrade.

I'll post it later, as it will take another six weeks and I just completed the Epoxy floor, but the plan is to build a panel wall of combined storage/workbench.

I may rethink this several times over and over before I pull the trigger but I wanted my lighting to be LED/industrial, and yet I don't need much..I'm very particular about the quality of light, haha.

 

[nadogail]

UniStrut, and look a likes are Tinker Toys for mechanical people. In 1982 I acquired a UniStrut Technical Catalog from a wholesale house, I don't know if they have paper catalogs any more.

I have been retired for a while, but when I was still actively doing installations, the UniStrut line was , in my opinion, more complete than their competitors.

 

[FullMetalTrousers]

UniStrut, and look a likes are Tinker Toys for mechanical people. In 1982 I acquired a UniStrut Technical Catalog from a wholesale house, I don't know if they have paper catalogs any more.

I have been retired for a while, but when I was still actively doing installations, the UniStrut line was , in my opinion, more complete than their competitors.

I can believe it. It's a brilliant product and I see it everywhere, it's just overwhelming in complexity. Would be helpful if they had their own stores rather than relying on big box retailers for service.

 

[alfredeneuman]

Minerallac straps for conduit support

Large fender washers should be used between the minerallac and the strut.
The straps are not wide enough to bridge the strut's opening

 

[Gummi Bear]

Yes, good catch. I forgot to mention that.



I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...

Henry David Thoreau

 

[shoot summ]

You can get the basics at Home Depot, but the pricing is a bit high.

Try to buy at your local Electrical Supply house if you can, lets you get longer sections of strut too.

I bought a lot of hardware off of EBAY from people selling surplus, even with shipping it was still cheaper than HD.

 

[FullMetalTrousers]

You can get the basics at Home Depot, but the pricing is a bit high.

Try to buy at your local Electrical Supply house if you can, lets you get longer sections of strut too.

I bought a lot of hardware off of EBAY from people selling surplus, even with shipping it was still cheaper than HD.

To your point, I just did an epoxy flooring and the central lesson I learned was that the products offered in big box retailers are terrible. Thus, my innate distrust of big-box retail is now heightened.

Also, living smack dab in the middle of DFW gives me crazy options for products that others don't have, and I feel like I'm cheating if I don't take advantage of it.

I'll definitely hit up an electrical supply.

 

[shoot summ]

To your point, I just did an epoxy flooring and the central lesson I learned was that the products offered in big box retailers are terrible. Thus, my innate distrust of big-box retail is now heightened.

Also, living smack dab in the middle of DFW gives me crazy options for products that others don't have, and I feel like I'm cheating if I don't take advantage of it.

I'll definitely hit up an electrical supply.

Regarding Unistrut the HD stuff is no different, just more expensive.

King Metals in Dallas is one of my favorite places to go, if you are into decorative metal work they are a great source. You can spend hours on their online catalog...

 

[FullMetalTrousers]

Regarding Unistrut the HD stuff is no different, just more expensive.

King Metals in Dallas is one of my favorite places to go, if you are into decorative metal work they are a great source. You can spend hours on their online catalog...

Mark it down.

Some day, I'll look back and say this is where it went south and all my money followed. That's my kinda place for sure! I've been looking for a business comparable to this one.https://www.andythornton.com/products

And it looks very, very close.


Thanks!

 

[csp]

but I think a track lighting system in addition to overhead lighting on the workspace will be plenty sufficient.

I wouldn't call that a track lighting system, at least from an adjustability viewpoint. Once the boxes and conduit are in place you're not going to be moving the boxes to change/adjust the lighting.

Yes the boxes are mounted to a track, but it's a mostly permanent position once in place.

 

[FullMetalTrousers]

agree. Good news is I have a lot to fix before i tackle that, but I'm going to stay bare bones for a reason and that is that it's possible i sell the house sometime over the next 24 months. But who knows.

Right now, the garage is a helluva mess and I need to add a rack for storage and two cabinets for tools.

 

[detritusmaximus]

Lowes also carries Superstrut. Very much the same thing as UniStrut. usually they have both the regular (1 5/8" x 1 5/8") and the shallower version.

An interesting tidbit...frequently it is cheaper to buy 10' threaded rod and coupler nuts (and sometimes the washers and nuts) in the electrical dept than in the hardware dept.

For range of Unistrut products (but still not all) check out McMaster Carr



McMaster will be your best friend. Just an astounding range of products and fast shipping. I'm in St. Louis and I usually get stuff from their Chicago warehouse the next day.

Related to McMaster/Andy/King is Outwater Plastics. It's more for the make it yourself crowd.

 

[FullMetalTrousers]

An interesting tidbit...frequently it is cheaper to buy 10' threaded rod \
For range of Unistrut products (but still not all) check out McMaster Carr

McMaster will be your best friend. Just an astounding range of products and fast shipping. I'm in St. Louis and I usually get stuff from their Chicago warehouse the next day.

Related to McMaster/Andy/King is Outwater Plastics. It's more for the make it yourself crowd.

McMaster Carr is a good suggestion, worth repeating. I was trying to build a shelf years ago, was looking at unistrut and found McMaster Carr then to have great products and very well run. Great resource!


Quick Update: Like most of us, this question is part of a larger garage renovation project. I needed someone to install a Monsterrax so I could start relocating storage that I tore down on Friday, but he bumped me to monday. And I also learned on Thursday, my TA-50 locker will not arrive for a few more weeks. Also have to negotiate delivery of two Vidmar cabinets over the next few weeks. Supply chains and warehouse operations for a lot of mid-size businesses have definitely taken a Covid hit. Things I could get in a week now take...two or three.

Part of the completed thus far renovation is epoxy coating the floor a slate grey. While it's mediated the temperature significantly, it's also made more obvious the need for an upgrade in the quality of lighting!

So I'll post some as is photos and thank everyone in advance for suggesting their favorite lighting products! Stay tuned, I need to run an errand but I'll be back with some better photos.

 

[FullMetalTrousers]

Just to give everyone a quick glimpse into the challenge I face. And yes, I had to lighten this photo when I edited it. This is 'one' light bulb and the lights attached to the opener. Now with a slate grey paint scheme, it's plenty dark.

So far, the following has been done:

Epoxy floor
Drywall repair
Paint
Monsterrax

The garage currently needs:

-Finish paint
-Arrival of wire locker
-two Vidmar cabinets
-thorough cleaning.
-managed wiring of electronics

And of course, lighting help.

I'm thinking an LED over each bay. There are electrical sockets over each!

Appreciate any and all suggestions! thanks in advance!

 

[itgoze211]

Sounds like quite the project and should be nice once it's all done.

I'm in the DFW area as well...up on the north side of FW.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

[FullMetalTrousers]

Sounds like quite the project and should be nice once it's all done.

I'm in the DFW area as well...up on the north side of FW.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

I got my flooring product from a dealer in Haslet. Crazy how much building is going on.

it's not a huge space, but here's the kicker. With "Covid regulations" of any kind, every house in my neighborhood seems to be making great use of the garage, heat permitting of course. I'd meant to hold off on this, but work suggested I get it done fast. Good news is, the heavy lifting is done, now onto the final stages. Next week will be paint and a lot of cleaning. My sole 'screwup' was not doing the drywall repair absolutely first, when the drywall was sanded it sent a dust storm onto everything and now I'll be cleaning into the next week, haha.

My house is decent/builder grade, but the garage always had a load of potential. Just needed to get my lazy tail to work making it happen.

It's a waiting game now, as the locker and cabinets are a few weeks out.

So we'll focus on the little things!

 

[ezzzzzzz]

Just look for an electrical supplier in your area. Most will sell retail. Their prices should beat the big box stores. They'll be more knowledgeable too.

 

[FullMetalTrousers]

Thanks for the help!

 

[FullMetalTrousers]

https://i.imgur.com/Vaioq0W.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/6ZdN590.jpg

Just to give some general ideas, here she stands as of today 8/22. Photos taken from the right and left side of the garage.

We are still waiting on:

A wire locker/cage for all of my soft accessories, camping gear, etc. That will fit in the right side of the photo. That's approximately 36inches wide, 78 inches tall.

On the left and under the TV, we're still waiting on two(2) Vidmar cabinets in dimensions of 44x30. Bridging them with a countertop is a separate project, LOL, but plenty of solutions out there for that.

In the foreground, you can see the remaining shelves from Monsterax.

The Monsterrax hanging wire shelf has been a savior. It was really the crux that made all of the organization wish lists, possible. I'll share the before and after when it's all done, but the previous wooden shelf was a POS, getting it out was an ordeal in and of itself. Like a giant tooth that needed to be pulled.

Short answer, I'm very picky about the lights that will go in. As you can tell, it has one horrific bulb, that works, but...it can go. On the ceiling are two nice electrical outlets. One on each bay. There are a lot of products that would work, but I'm being a perfectionist here and want a true upgrade.

I greatly appreciate all of the suggestions regarding lighting vendors, I am preparing to go visit one suggested to me by a GJ member here and I'm sure it will work, but if anyone wants to make suggestions, fire away.

 

[FullMetalTrousers]

This is current. Stahlwille Toolbox and Vidmar Cabinets have arrived. Have done some small, accent plug in lighting attached to the storage rack. I'm going to add two more lights as bay lights. Also still waiting on a wire cage/locker for the soft items.

The project thus far has been a great learning experience in three regards.
1) quality of products
2) flooring
3) and of course, lighting.

I did this a certain way because I wanted to enhance the curb appeal and potentially sell in the next few years, but i wanted the bulk of my investment to go into things that I could take with me to a new place.

 

[FullMetalTrousers]

Thanks for the great help everyone. The lighting is strong now, I'll add another updated photo with the neon sign.


[IMG]https://i.imgur.com/VWqqQS0.jpg[/IMG]

https://i.imgur.com/5tZRuOY.jpg

 

[nadogail]

Uni Strut is like an adult sized Erector Set for engineers and mechanics.

 

[FullMetalTrousers]

Uni Strut is like an adult sized Erector Set for engineers and mechanics.

Spot on. Which is why I'm afraid to get involved with it. Too....addictive....

 

[FullMetalTrousers]

Uni Strut is like an adult sized Erector Set for engineers and mechanics.

Spot on. Which is why I'm afraid to get involved with it. Too....addictive....