How to Improve Your Garage’s Lighting – Part 2
Photo: Pixabay
While it’s important to have a general plan for how you want to improve your garage lighting, there’s more to it than just diversifying the lighting sources, as we mentioned earlier. Here are some more things you’ll want to consider as you increase your garage’s illumination and make it a more welcoming space to park and to work on your car.
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Determine lumens and wattage
Photo: Pashminu Mansukhani via Pixabay
According to Bob Vila, different lighting types should have a certain lumen rating. Task lighting should have a light output of 300 lumens per square foot. Accent lighting sources should yield 75 lumens per square foot and ambient lighting should yield 50.
Once you’ve figured out the lumens you’ll need, it’s time to calculate the wattage. To find out how many light bulbs you’ll need for your garage, multiply the lumens guideline by the square footage of your space.
Consider the CRI rating
Depending on what gearhead tasks you plan on doing in your garage, you might want to invest in light bulbs with a high CRI rating. CRI is an acronym that refers to the color rendering index of the bulb.
Fixtures with these bulbs will give you maximum visibility in seeing the true color of auto paint and other products that you’re working with. Home Depot recommends using bulbs with a CRI rating of 85 or higher.
Leverage natural light
Photo: Scott Donald via Pixabay
While investing in high-quality lighting fixtures and bulbs are important, don’t forget about natural lighting. Vila suggests installing a window or skylight if your budget allows. Some garage doors also have built-in windows. It’s a simple way to enhance your garage’s overall illumination while saving some electricity when the weather is sunny and you’re tooling on your car.
Tips to save energy and money
Improving your garage lighting doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Choose LED bulbs for lighting fixtures, as Home Depot recommends. These last longer and use less electricity than fluorescent ones.
You can also install motion sensors to further conserve energy when you’re not using garage lights. If your lighting fixture doesn’t have a built-in sensor, it’s fairly simple to purchase a motion sensor unit and wire it to the fixture via electric cables, as Vila advises.
Brush up on these safety tips for working on your car in your new-and-improved garage. And read up on how to give your garage door an eco-friendly makeover if it’s time to replace it and you want to go with a sustainable option.
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Whitney Russell resides in Dayton, though her spirit can be found beach-bumming in Puerto Rico (the land of her half-Puerto Rican heritage). When not crafting car-related content, she can be found chasing after the most amazing toddler in the world, watching her “beaver” of a husband build amazing woodworking projects, hanging out with two crazy dogs, and visiting family and friends. She also enjoys traveling, crafting, and binge-watching period dramas when time allows. See more articles by Whitney.