Posted: 8/20/2026 12:08:43 PM EDT
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After an office renovation, the company let employees have the old 2' x 4' LED ceiling fixtures. Nothing was wrong with them, the company just wanted newer fixtures to accentuate the new office decor. Unsure of the wattage offhand, but they provided sufficient light in offices. I was able to get eight (8) fixtures, and would like to put some, if not all, into my basement garage area. They will be flush mounted to the floor joists. The "ceiling" height is about 7'-6" at the most. Shown is a sketch I made of the garage area (it is to scale), and I'm curious what would be the best configuration / placement of light fixtures. The yellow dots represent the existing single light fixtures, which will be where I tap the electrical power from. Black dots are support columns. There is enough clearance to allow lights in the garage door area. So, any suggestions are welcome. Thanks for looking. Attached File |
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Originally Posted By Sigifrith: Wire up a connection and get up on a ladder after dark. See how much throw the light has. Go from there. I did that with a cheap 2 light 4’ led. Ended up with 4 in a small garage, I could do surgery in there now. |
If life was easy nobody would quit.
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Originally Posted By gtsteve03: I would do 4 in the back work area in a square, and 4 in a row along the wide stretch past where the doors open to. This is sensible, concentrate the light on the work bench areas, especially if you are in your forties and getting close to fifty! Heck I might even put two more in the bays but still lined up with the back work area and only put two in the bays main area. I assume you already have some basic bulbs in the bays now. Really that’s all you need there for simply parking cars. working on cars, detailing cars, etc you may want the extra light there. I have 18 2 bulb 4’ fixtures in my garage workshop plus bench lighting under the cabinets. it’s not too much light! Also if you haven’t painted the walls and ceiling white you’re missing out on reflected light bounce factor. |
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OP here. Thanks for the quick replies. Some additional information: The workbench on the long side already has some articulated / drafting light fixtures on each end. There is also one on the corner shelf directly across from it. (Remember when those lights were popular?) The other workbench on the short side only has a small light on a table-top drill press, but I think I have another articulated / drafting light fixture NIB (bought at a thrift store). I do plan to paint the walls white. Since my house is built into a hill, some of the paint will be moisture barrier (Drylok) type, because the end of the basement beyond the garage area (not shown on the drawing) is below grade, as is some of the garage walls, sloping towards the garage doors. The LED fixtures that I got each have four (4) tube-type LED bulbs. I may do as you suggested and wire one up temporarily and see how it looks. |
| For general illumination looks okay. Will need task lighting on benches. Use a major manufacturer the cheap ones are loud RF wise. Lithonia, Lutron, etc. . I like 5K or similar for white white. You will have shadows without lights over work areas. |
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Bacon grease, the Muslim approved .mil lubricant.
Bacon grease, the Muslim approved .mil lubricant.
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Another tip, you can get screw in outlets that go into the light socket of the opener. Then, plug in a 4' LED on each (if you have two lights on your opener like I did). Nice garage lighting when you come home or leave. And, it's on a timer. Need them on all the time, just hit the light switch on the wall opener. Also consider the LED color, or Kelvin scale. From google. My shop and garage have 4000 k LED light fixtures. I am pleased. LED color is measured in Kelvin (K), with lower values producing warm, yellowish light and higher values producing cool, bluish light. Understanding the Kelvin Scale The Kelvin (K) scale measures the color temperature of light, not its heat. Lower Kelvin numbers (around 2700K–3000K) produce warm, amber tones similar to incandescent bulbs, while higher numbers (5000K and above) produce cool, blue-white light resembling daylight or overcast skies ledabulb.com ledabulb.com +1 . Neutral white light falls in the middle range (3500K–4000K), offering a balanced, natural appearance |
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| I prefer 4000k to 5000k in a shop or garage. 6000k is a little too blueish tint for my liking. I prefer 3000k inside a house. |
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Theodore Roosevelt
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Originally Posted By DVCER: There should be a 1/2" hole for the old conduit entry, stuff a 1/2" romex connector in there. You did verify they are 120v right? Checking to make sure they're 120v is good. Most drivers are multi volt (120-277v), but some require a different wiring input if it was 277 and is now being setup for 120. |