Anyone using pot lights in their garage?

[ALBERTA_IS]

Hey guys, just about to start running the electrical for my 30X22 garage and I an leaning towards potlighting but would like to see if anyone else is running the same thing. I guess my main concerns are that it needs to bright but not over the top bright. The garage is going to more of a showroom/mancave rather than being used for projects. Posts some pics of what your using for lighting! Thanks

Alex

[AndyL]

I'm in the process of cutting in 6 - 4x54w T5HO fixtures. Tested them as surface mounts first, holy mother of god a second circuit/switch is being added... garage is 30x26...

2 fixtures makes it workable, with the 6 - its into that photo studio lighting...

Most of these new warehouses are using T5HO lighting, figure if its right for them, I'm good with it...

[eblend]

I wanted to do pot lights in mine, but would require a ton of lights with not much for output. Instead got 8 of these, 3 on each side of the garage, and 2 in the wrong above the workbench and on the side, if tinkering with the motor ect.


Same as these but white, thing they were like $23 bucks each at home depot (not including the actual light bulb)

[90accord]

I have been puttin pots in peoples garages for years and like mentioned you need a few for it to be bright, of course I would only use 6" pots with 75 watt bulbs!

[ALBERTA_IS]

Originally posted by 90accord
I have been puttin pots in peoples garages for years and like mentioned you need a few for it to be bright, of course I would only use 6" pots with 75 watt bulbs!

I was thinking about 18-20 pot lights and I was going to go with a LED pot light bulb. I used the formula of placing pot lights no further than 6 feet apart. Do you have any pics of the final product? Thanks guys

Alex

[JDMMAN]

ALBERTA_IS - if you plan on having your ceiling insulated in the garage, you need an "IC" (Insulated Ceiling) rated "can" or "box" These add up quite in terms of price. The 4" and 6" will give you the most availability of trim styles. I wouldn't recommend going with the 5" as its tough to find parts for it and its pricey.

I did LED pot lighting throughout my house and you need to use a Flood style LED light to get the desired light dispersement. Otherwise the light is too focused and you have lots of shadows.

[ALBERTA_IS]

Originally posted by JDMMAN
ALBERTA_IS - if you plan on having your ceiling insulated in the garage, you need an "IC" (Insulated Ceiling) rated "can" or "box" These add up quite in terms of price. The 4" and 6" will give you the most availability of trim styles. I wouldn't recommend going with the 5" as its tough to find parts for it and its pricey.

I did LED pot lighting throughout my house and you need to use a Flood style LED light to get the desired light dispersement. Otherwise the light is too focused and you have lots of shadows.

Thanks! What bulbs are you using? Mind posting a pic? Thanks

[danno]

I did Jordan's garage with potlights. Kind of a mini showcase for the Lambo.

[90accord]

When I get back to work I will snap some pics I don't have any since I got this new phone, it's hard to get a decent amount of light out of an led, like mentioned before they are a very focused light and create a lot of shadows, as for insulated can it isn't a big deal they have insulated retro fit 6" that look great in this application, I once did a garage that is a 60/70's Carlot theme with a replica texaco station and it had 200 pots plus track lighting, althought it was over 3000 square feet.

[ALBERTA_IS]

Originally posted by 90accord
When I get back to work I will snap some pics I don't have any since I got this new phone, it's hard to get a decent amount of light out of an led, like mentioned before they are a very focused light and create a lot of shadows, as for insulated can it isn't a big deal they have insulated retro fit 6" that look great in this application, I once did a garage that is a 60/70's Carlot theme with a replica texaco station and it had 200 pots plus track lighting, althought it was over 3000 square feet.

Thanks!

[NickGT]

I have a little garage project in the works. No opinions yet on the pot lights though, it's a work in progress... I'm hopeful 16 is enough :-)


» Click image for larger version

[ALBERTA_IS]

Originally posted by NickGT
I have a little garage project in the works. No opinions yet on the pot lights though, it's a work in progress... I'm hopeful 16 is enough :-)


» Click image for larger version

Nice! How big is your garage? Let me know how it turns out. Did you install the blue vapor box around the pot lights?

[NickGT]

Originally posted by ALBERTA_IS


Nice! How big is your garage? Let me know how it turns out. Did you install the blue vapor box around the pot lights?

My electrician just used some basic poly vapor barrier wrap thing (probably cheaper). Not concerned. Blue box seems pretty slick though.

Oversized double garage - 25'x23' floor space - 12' ceilings approx.

Some of the plans I have are to:

-Line the wall with my fridge and tool chest with cabinets/work bench.
-For entertainment a roof mounted projector will shoot onto the wall for game nights & pre-wired for stereo
-The walls will be painted white with a set of racing stripes around the walls to match my car. The stripes will box off where the projector shoots to create a screen for it.

If you can't imagine it, here's something similar I did with my last garage. This one I used track lighting. Which wasn't to bad at all. I am a huge fan of the finished garage and like seeing what people come up with. Good luck with your project!


» Click image for larger version

[Jeff TYPE R]

I have a double garage that came with 6 PAR20 50W halogens...not bright enough. When I add in the two incandescents on the door opener, it's *just* bright enough.

Recessed pot lighting looks nice, but it's not really bright enough to be functional unless you have a ton, which is extremely wasteful. I hate the thought of several hundred watts of power being flicked on by a single switch.

If I could do it from scratch, I would definitely load up on fluorescent tubes . Bright, power friendly, and for best for car enthusiasts, as fluorescents will show paint defects very readily, so you can properly detail a car.

[schmooot]

I tried a couple pot lights in my shop above the garage door (clearance issues) but ripped them out the next week and sunk in a fluorescent fixture with daylight bulbs. The pot lights are too focused...and hot. And I would have had to put the cans in the attic with the insulation.