A garage can be a dark and dull place without the right kind of lighting. There are a number of garage lighting ideas available, though florescent light strips would be the only suggested route to go down. Additional lights can work alongside these florescent strips such as work and decorative light fixtures. There are also ways to make a garage less sterile looking while still using these florescent strip lights. We go over all of this below, along with a lot of photos so you can get a good idea of how the lights will work in your garage.
Garage Design Tip: Avoid Using Just One Light
A garage tends to be a large space. As you can see in the two photos below, a single light in the middle of the garage doesn’t light up the large space well:
One light bulb in the middle of the ceiling isn't enough lighting for a garage space
Avoid using one central ceiling light in a garage
In the examples below, the best looking garages are the ones that use a number of different garage lighting fixtures and techniques.
The Best Home Garage Lighting Solution: Florescent Light Strips
If you want the best garage lighting design, then use florescent light strips. There are a number of benefits to using them. They easily light up a large space, are energy efficient, with the right ballast will work in cold weathers, and if you have a work shop and use paints – florescent lights show true colors.
There are a variety of florescent light strips – you have the T4, T5, T8 and the T12. The numbers represent the different widths in diameter. They produce different amounts of light, so choosing between them is based on how much space is in your garage. If you have a garage that gets cold, below 50 degrees F, you’ll want to avoid T12s and instead use the T8s – and use an electronic ballast rather than an electromagnetic one.
If you have a high ceiling or want to install these lights over a work space, then you can find light fittings that come with a chain so you can hang the lights lower down from the ceiling.
Florescent shop lights
LumaLinks is a company that provides garage lighting fixtures. Their lighting system allows you to tap into an existing light outlet in the ceiling. You can easily expand and tailor your garage lighting layout to your space without additional wiring. Â
Lumalinks: simple to install, garage florescent lighting
- Photograph Examples of Garage Fluorescent Lighting
Garage florescent lighting
A man in a garage lit by overhead florescent lights
Two 8 foot high output florescent lights lighting up this garage
A garage using a series of florescent lights and window lighting
The florescent garage lights in the picture on the left can be bought on Amazon here.
- Painting The Walls
Even with bright florescent lights, the garage in the picture below looks dark and dull:
A dim and dark garage
Painting the wall a light color (white) will help make the space brighter. Or you can paint the walls cream or off white for a less sterile look:
Painting the walls a light color brightens and softens a garage with florescent lights
You can always add florescent light covers to diffuse the lighting, reducing the glare from the light strips.
Garage Lighting Solutions For Work Areas
If you have any work areas in your garage, you will want to have specific lights focused on those areas. Ceiling lights will either not reach the work areas or will cast shadows making it difficult to work. One option mentioned earlier was to use florescent shop lights that are low hanging.
Another option is to use florescent pendant lights, in addition to the florescent light strips as seen in the photo below:
A garage using pendant lights above a work station, as well as florescent strip lights for general lighting
Under cabinet lighting can also provide light for work stations:
Under cabinet lighting is another way of lighting work stations
Natural Lighting
Having windows will bring in natural light during the day. These windows can be installed in the walls or there are garage doors that have small windows fitted in them. Here are some examples of garages using windows to bring in natural light:
The tall windows bring in a lot of natural lighting into this garage during the day
The windows in the garage door fill the space with natural lighting, while the florescent ceiling lights are used at night
Reasons not to use windows:
- They have poor insulation, making a garage space colder or warmer
- If your garage faces direct and intense sunlight, the UV rays could affect chemicals you store in the garage (paint, cleaners, etc.)
Easy and Cozy Home Garage Lighting
There is always the option to use string lights, globe lights and floor lamps to light a garage. These are for more cozy, hangout type garages:
A garage hangout using string lights and lamps
Decorative Lighting
And our last garage lighting idea is: neon signs. They make for great decorative garage lighting fixtures:
Neon signs make for decorative light fixtures in a home garage
image credits: 8one6, j.s clark, steve caddy 2 3, chuck-reynolds, mtneer_man 2 3, riebschlager, Vagabond Shutterbug, steveleenow 2, briandewitt, jeweledelion, JonDissed, Susan Sharpless Smith
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