New Garage. Surface Mount or Recessed Electrical?

[kngelv]

I just had a 24' x 24' garage built. Will be used for vehicle repair/maintenance, welding etc. Basically a small shop. The garage has 12' ceilings and will have a lift. Walls and ceiling will be insulated and covered. My initial thought is to run a wireway around the upper perimeter with vertical EMT drops for outlets. Aesthetically .... recessed would probably look nicer but I like the idea of easy access for any changes and additions with the surface mount type install. Any advice of going one way or the other would be appreciated. I'm wondering if there is any valid reason to just run romex in the walls vs. the surface mount method. Walls will be covered with 1" x 8" pine boards. Not worried about cost.

James

 

[PT Doc]

In wall outlets will have a cleaner look but if you ar e likely to change things in the future then having surface mounted would be easier. Or all in wall and future changes get installed in wall.

 

[Tundra1]

My current plan in similar situation is to put basic wiring in wall for exterior lights switches and a couple 20a circuits to each interior wall passing through four square boxes at the 10ft level. Also plan a 10x10x8 pull box above the panel at ceiling height. This way any of the embedded four square 20a receptacle circuits can be extended by putting on a box extension after the wall covering is on. The pull box will allow easy addition of dedicated circuits. Maybe overkill or strange approach, but it seems like it's best of both worlds between hiding a lot of infrastructure but also keeps options open .
Everything in emt also keeps options open for getting to the embedded boxes.

 

[LopezBart]

I've worked in/on shops done both ways... I'm going to do all surface mount in our new shop. Too many changes over time as tools get upgraded, moved, etc. A new interest or project often means that more/different wiring is needed, and having the wire covered up is a PITA. And burying wires in spray foam - no thanks!

 

[ToolsRCool]

I just had a 24' x 24' garage built. Will be used for vehicle repair/maintenance, welding etc. Basically a small shop. The garage has 12' ceilings and will have a lift. Walls and ceiling will be insulated and covered. My initial thought is to run a wireway around the upper perimeter with vertical EMT drops for outlets. Aesthetically .... recessed would probably look nicer but I like the idea of easy access for any changes and additions with the surface mount type install. Any advice of going one way or the other would be appreciated. I'm wondering if there is any valid reason to just run romex in the walls vs. the surface mount method. Walls will be covered with 1" x 8" pine boards. Not worried about cost.

James

I'd say surface mount, but honestly, I have Romex in my current garage, and have not changed a thing. You can do some fun stuff with surface mount though, paint it flat black and make it look 1900's industrial era, big brass steam pressure gauge for your air compressor, etc........if you are considering a theme.

Regarding your ceiling height, how tall are your side walls?

 

[kngelv]

I'd say surface mount, but honestly, I have Romex in my current garage, and have not changed a thing. You can do some fun stuff with surface mount though, paint it flat black and make it look 1900's industrial era, big brass steam pressure gauge for your air compressor, etc........if you are considering a theme.

Regarding your ceiling height, how tall are your side walls?

12 foot walls.

James

 

[ToolsRCool]

Understood, thanks. I'm constructing about the same, but my city limits my side wall height to 10' walls, so I'm having to get creative to have a 13' interior ceiling.

 

[Chuckster in NJ]

Surface mount everything. It’s a garage and a "working garage" should look like a commercial shop…… PLUS, EMT looks "manly."

IMHO, if this garage is going to be used as a "man cave" with padded chairs, refrigerator, game table, big screen TV, kegerator and parking a trailer queen car then recess everything for a "finished/show room" look.

BTW! I have wired and inspected "man cave garages" and no way would these guys change their oil in them.……. In my area they are called "MOTOR STABLES"

 

[Stuart in MN]

I used Romex, and included enough receptacles that I haven't had to move anything in 25 years.

 

[duneslider]

I am sort of in the boat of if you put in plenty of outlets to begin with do you really think you will need to make changes later. Put in some thought to what you are doing and put in a bunch of outlets.

I tried to put in plenty when I did my garage and after a few years there are only a couple additional I really would have added if I did it again but what I put in is totally serviceable. I don't anticipate really needing to make changes.

 

[u2slow]

Surface mount the panel, and put in some basic wiring to satisfy the code minimums.

Then you have the freedom to run whatever extra circuits you need, later - in surface conduit - to exactly where you need them.

 

[kngelv]

I'm leaning surface mount right now. I went crazy in my current garage with receptacles which are all recessed. I was so paranoid about having to add outlets later that I went overboard at the time. Plywood walls and a drywalled ceiling. I have fourteen 120V receptacles on the walls plus five lighting receptacles and a garage door opener receptacle on the ceiling. That's a total of twenty. I also have two 240V outlets in there. The garage is only 19.5' x 17.5' with an 8'5" ceiling. I will have at least three 240V outlets in the second garage but the lighting will be hardwired on it's own circuit with no overhead lighting receptacles. It will be more of a shop versus a man cave type setup. I definitely will not have a television out there. BTW I'm a journeyman electrician and work at a major automaker, and have done way more conduit work than Romex type installs. The funny thing though is that I've barely run 100' of EMT in my life versus 1000's of rigid. Either method is easy enough though.

James

 

[acer66]

I also did the bare minimum to satisfy code and then ran emt around the top with some deep 4x4 boxes somewhat strategically placed within that run.

All surface mounted since its cinder blocks but I also like the look of surface mounted emt in a workshop.

 

[imma_stocker]

I plan on running exposed in my new shop. Now I'm ready to start electrical so the starting point is begin frame out where the panel will go, mount panel, connect to meter, run dedicated lighting circuits, run dedicated circuit for compressor, then add on whatever as I go.

Being a welded red iron building I figure Romex on the top side of girts then down grey PVC to boxes will be good enough. If people are looking at my wiring and conduit I need a cooler car in there lol

Oh I am planning to install a sort of access hatch above the panel to make expansion easier. Just starting to research panels but that's another topic.

 

[alfredeneuman]

Run flexible metal conduits in the wall. It lends itself to future changes.

 

[ToolsRCool]

Run flexible metal conduits in the wall. It lends itself to future changes.

That's what my buddy did in prep of spray-foaming his garage, so he could still change wiring if need be later.

 

[BreeStephany]

As others have suggested, whether you run NM or conduit, leave some empty chases for future circuits. If you have accessible attic space, I would run a couple of chases to the attic space and mount a jbox in the attic. If there are no real accessible spaces like an attic, run a couple of conduits from your panel to a gutter at ceiling height.

NM is less costly than conduit, but you are locked into whatever you put in the walls. 12-2 NM is fine for running your 120V 20A branch circuits, but I would recommend conduit to other locations for specific equipment, etc.

 

[sparky 1971]

At only 24X24 I think I'd do it in romex. It isn't big enough to really add anything substantial in the future. The first garage I built was 24X24 and it was a lot smaller than I thought it was going to be. To cover any future concerns, run four 3/4 or 1" ENT's to 4X4 junction boxes with two gang mud rings. Two above and two below the panel at different heights on each stud. If the need to add anything ever comes up, throw a Raco 187 style extension box over one of the junction boxes and run some EMT.

 

[pbon]

Seems like the OP knows enough to layout his shop without any major design changes so the cleaner romex in the walls would work fine. But if it really is a working shop only then it does not matter and metal conduit makes sense. My 24x30 attached carriage house is a shop/garage and is fully finished. I have had a really rough completely unfinished barn before and one that I finished with surface mount metal conduit so I knew what I wanted.

 

[kngelv]

I've decided to do surface mount. Thanks for the suggestions. I was leaning that way anyway and I really don't want to deal with cutouts on the walls and ceiling. The insulation and wall covering will get done a lot faster this way too.

James

 

[kngelv]

Well I surface mounted the panel but recessed all the outlets. I just thought it would look better with the wall paneling I used. It gives me the option of easy additions via conduit if needed. Finishing everything up and will post pics soon.

James

 

[Codyboy]

As of right now I flush or recessed mounted all the boxes. 4x4 boxes will have two duplex receptacles each . And I installed 12-3 w grnd so 2 circuits, so every other box or the two in each box can be different circuits. Also if I need 240 20A its already there.
I doubt I'll ever cover the walls but if I do then I'd have to surface mount the electrical.
So far I have 3 or 4 circuits with some daisy chained receptacles and a couple of dedicated circuits.
Not installed yet but I will have some 8 or 10 gauge 240 circuits where my welder and woodworking tools will be.
Pic is how i mounted the boxes under the bottom girt, so about 4ft high. Romex suspended under the girts like a raceway .

 

[trashauler]

I went with surface mount. Glad I did. I have Alread relocate two of the 240 outlets.

 

[kngelv]

I fully intended to surface mount everything and thus my underground conduit was in front of the wall. I decided on nicer wood for the walls and thought recessed would look better. The panel is surface mounted but everything else is recessed. This works out because it will be easy to add additional outlets if needed.

James

 

[no704]

I’m building a 36”x 26”’shop now. I’m thinking surface Mount. But might run unistrut around it at about 4’6” to Mount boxes on.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Surface mount the panel, and put in some basic wiring to satisfy the code minimums.

Then you have the freedom to run whatever extra circuits you need, later - in surface conduit - to exactly where you need them.

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