Recessed lights in concrete floor?

[redrvr]

I just found this site and wow, there are some amazing garages on here!!! Thanks all for your inspiration!

We're about to go in for permit for an auto/wood shop with guest house. I found a picture in a book with a few recessed lights installed in a concrete floor below a two-post lift. This seems like a good idea to illuminate under a car without hot spotlights and cords to trip on. However, I haven't found anyone who has actually done this and wasn't able to find any discussion on this board.

Has anyone here done this or considered doing this? Pros/cons? Are you aware of a source for recessed lights with lenses that can take a tool dropping on it or a car driving over it? I'm also a bit concerned with the heat buildup of a sealed floodlight - thoughts? Thx in advance!

 

[Quiksilver]

have personally never done this or seen it done. I like the idea and hope to implement it when I have the opportunity to build my garage.

Here is a link to a company that has recessed floor lighting. http://www.tahoelighting.com/

 

[Stuart in MN]

It's been discussed here a couple times in the past, do a search and you should be able to find some information. I remember I posted a recessed light I found somewhere a while back that was designed for outdoor use in places like hotel entryways that looked like it would work.

 

[kbs2244]

I have to say this falls into the area of “over engineering.”
Even the pros that work under cars all day long get by just fine with one or two double 4 foot tubes on the wall.
Although I have seen some of the same cheap double 4 footers mounted vertical on homemade stands.
But in the floor?
Where is my white polyester suit with the big bell bottoms?

 

[Franz©]

Two little words will come into play in any electrical device permanently installed less than 48" above a garage floor where gasoline powered vehicles are stored or worked on;
EXPLOSION PROOF!

That alone will put the fixture at about $700+ price point.

 

[chevelle64]

I think sealed lights in the floor is a great idea. I am one of the pros who works under vehicles all day, and have talked to several others who do the same, they all also think the same. There is a big difference between getting by just fine, and having a convenience item. We could all get by with our attached garages cluttered with kid's toys and bikes, working under our cars with creepers. But it's much more of a convenience to have a detached garage with our kind of "toys", and a hoist, and for some of us...lights in the floor. I also don't think it to be any more unsafe than a lot of bullet heaters that many of us have used over the years. It all comes down to working safe and planning ahead. In case you can't tell, I am also planning on lights in the floor. OK, I'm done. Someone else can use the soap box now.

 

[daddylama]

a mid-century modern house i worked on a few years back had recessed lights in every floor of the house... including the 3 car garage. the lights were around the perimeter of each room.
i actually thought it was a bit odd, but created some bitchin' mood lighting effects as they were all on dimmers. the mood was particularly effective during parties, when women with skirts stood over them, unknowingly providing a show.

after working on that house for a couple months (did a lot of metalwork for the place), i thought about how cool it would be to have 'em in the workshop.
never got around to it... but i like lots of lighting. i don't see well (at all) in the dark, and areas that are dimly lit may as well be pitch black for me.

want to avoid the expense explosion-proof? how about low voltage exterior/submerged flush lights? nicely recessed, don't have to worry about things going boom (although in a typical workshop environment, i don't think it's a concern), and pretty affordable.

i've got compact florescent on the underside of my workbench, and will have 'em on the underside of prettymuch everything in the shop in due time (see above, about not being able to see sh*t in the dark)... all of which are under 48" from the ground.

personally, i'd think the recessed lights would be far safer than a halogen work lamp sitting on the floor... and damned sure safer than an open flame heater

 

[hevnbnd]

So anyone got any brands they would recommend? I am building a shop and would love to incorporate some lights under my lift. I was thinking well or in-ground pool lights would be the way to go. WATERPROOF... Any input?

 

[chevelle64]

Check out this thread from a few weeks ago. Same subject. I am in the process of doing it right now.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=26797&highlight=hunza

 

[Ray-CA]

I have a copy of the "Ultimate garage Handbook" (ISBN 0-7603-1640-6) There are a couple of great photos of floor lights set up in garages/shops (with sources listed.) There are also lots of other great ideas for storage, flooring, wiring etc.

The book is at Amazon, (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0760316406/?tag=atomicindus08-20) new from $8.11 to $14.93 and used from a low of $1.47.

You won't be able to build a garage from the ground up, but it does have a lot of ideas.

Ray

 

[rsanter]

you will want to look at comercial/arcitectual lighting as this is where they are used the most.
they make sealed units that are waterproof and can handle heavy foot traffic and be very durable. I have seen some of them that have glass lenzes that are up to 2'' thick and are 12x12 in size

in some ways I am not so sure how usefull these would be because I would think that you will end up having your head or body in the way of the light when you are looking closely at something

you could use some spot or can lights in the lower part of the wall that can be aimed upward to the bottom of the car as well as a couple of florecent work lights on reels (one on each side) that can be brought into the work area

bob

 

[Kevin54]

Why couldn't someone make their own unit to go into the floor? If you had some type of enclosure made that concrete could be poured around, you could have a glass company cut the glass to go over it. Or you could incorporate glass block into it somehow. It takes a hammer to bust a glass block. The only down fall is that under a lift, everything get dropped from a nut, to exhaust pipes, wrences, ratchets, etc. Plus you would have to make it to be able to roll something over it, like a transmission jack. They do make lighting units that are used in place of some paving block, but I don't know if that would give the light output. The other ones are the ones used in commercial applications that you see around office buildings.

 

[Cpt Panzer]

I am a car hauler for a living .I have work lights in the belly decks of my trailer . I do have to work at night a lot and have found that lighting under your feet is very dificult to work with to the extent that it has caused me several injuries due to the fact that its hard to see whats under your feet . you don't realize how much you check were your feet are at in the course of a day. its like breathing you don't even know you do it. any light thats bright enough to be a work light will only serve to blind and disorient you ,especially in conditions were you are working over your head. also if the light is under you , you will throw a shadow on your work and pretty much defeat the purpose. I have removed the clear lights on my trailer and replaced them with amber lenses that I dusted with some gray primer to further dull there glow. sounds like a waste of hard earned $$$ to me.