# Lighting



## steve farnham (Jul 11, 2010)

Can someone please let me know the best overhead lighting. My new shop is 26 x 18 and 7-8 ft. high. There is no lighting now so I can do it from the beginning. I really need to see my work.:help:


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## beelzerob (May 2, 2010)

I had planned to use about 4 or so long shop flourescent light fixtures and paint the walls and ceiling near white. Im hoping that will do it. My area is about the same as yours.


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## mdntrdr (Dec 22, 2009)

Flourescent is a PITA!

Given your ceiling hight you may not have much choice.

I have high pressure sodium.

They dont give a true color rendering............but man do they last!

I do all my finishing in a sun lit room with flourescents.

Painting white will help substantially!


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

*WELCOME TO THE FORUM*

I've always used flourescent lighting. You could be satisfied with the double four foot two light fixtures. Some of the "bargain" lights at the home center aren't worth the $9.99 they get. In small areas I did get lucky with some good ones that don't eat bulbs. The 4' lamps are a lot less than buying 8' HO lamps.


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## beelzerob (May 2, 2010)

What about flourescent is a pain, Scott? It seemed like installation would be a snap.


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## mdntrdr (Dec 22, 2009)

Hmmm.....Let me recall.

Oh yea,,,,,, bulbs, starters, ballasts.

It was never ending, and that was with better fixtures than your likely to buy today, unless you go industrial $$$, even at that I had my fill!

I was always lighting 2000 sq. ft. or better.

Shipload O' fixtures!

For a small shop, they will be fine, you wont get tired runnin from end to end and climbin ladders.


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## Ghidrah (Mar 2, 2010)

I was lucky when I got my 4 double fixture fluorescent lights, I was doing housing remodeling out at the military reservation so they were free, I've been running them since 95. I may have replaced 1 or 2 tubes in the entire time. My only problem with them is when they occasionally don't light. But all I do is spin the tube back and forth and they light up.


For the most part they're great but when I need really good bright light I pull out the halides I use when I'm forced to do drywall on a project. They even heat up the shop during the winter if they're on long enough.


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## jriffel (May 13, 2009)

Don't buy the cheap cr$p flourescent 4 foot fixtures. When a ballast goes out, the oscillating frequencies can feed back to the other lights on the same circuit and wipe them all out. Purchase good quality flourescent fixtures and put in more than you need. There is no need to squint while working. Also, if you are finishing, think about a seperate switched circuit for 4 foot Black Light fixtures. A few of these will make your finishing faster. Putting them in at the early stages is just good sense.


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## Mr Mac (May 31, 2010)

I have decided to use LED lighting installed in recessed cans over the tools/work areas. The initial cost is a bit high so I'll be doing this pretty much payday by payday. I decided on them because they'll last darned near 10 years, cost about $6/per light per year to operate and will work in cold temps.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

I have both 8' and 4' flourescent fixtures in my garage/shop. They work just fine. Nothing painful about them. Every 8 to 10 years I have to replace a tube or two.

George


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## woody woodturner (Jul 9, 2010)

*lighting*

i have put fluros on the walls over work areas no shadows especially over lathe no shadows
but in the club shed fluros and mercury lights real bright lol


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## TS3660 (Mar 4, 2008)

Perfect thread for me. I have a 22 x 36 shop and in the center I have 3, 8 foot double flourescents that I turn on with a switch at the wall when I come into the shop. Then, just last weekend I got done putting up double 4' flourescents around the perimeter of the shop. I have about 10 of them. They are over specific machines and/or benches. They were $9.89 at Lowes but had no pull chain or switch. They just had a plug. So, I bought pull chain switches for $2.89 each, drilled a hole in the light housing between the bulbs and wired the switch in. Took literally took 4 to 5 minutes each. Also, I bought cool white bulbs. I had one old flourescent light in the shop that I was happy with....UNTIL I BOUGHT THESE COOL WHITES. What a difference. The old one was very yellowish. I looked at the bulbs and they were "kitchen & bath" bulbs. These cool whites are bright. They also make "daylight" bulbs. I wonder what those are like. Anyway, I am really pleased with the lighting in my shop. My walls and ceilings are white.


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## TS3660 (Mar 4, 2008)

Here's a few pics of my lighting. 3 - 8 footers in the middle and several 4 footers around the perimeter. Also a pic of one of the 4 foot lights with added pull chain.


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## Ghidrah (Mar 2, 2010)

I envy you for your space


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## rrbrown (Feb 15, 2009)

My shop area is 24 x 20 and I have (4) 4' florescent fixtures with 4 T8 bulbs in each they are like 4 years old now and never replaced a bulb.
They are a little more expensive $32 each plus bulbs which I bought a case. They are recessed into the sheetrock ceiling so no clearance issues and I use the daylight bulbs which are very bright.

Picture taken before I finish taped, floated and painted.


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## bofa (Jul 17, 2010)

Yeah if you avoid the cheap fluorescent fixtures you end up better off in the long run. Still need to replace the 4 footers in my garage. Was really hoping to see more led bar lights out by now.


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## jriffel (May 13, 2009)

With current technology, LED lights are great for task lighting, but they have yet to make any good general lighting LED fixtures. You would think that if they could replace all of the traffic control lights in the United States, they could design a good flourescent tube replacement. I smell a conspiracy from the flourescent lamp manufacturers :laughing:.


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## bofa (Jul 17, 2010)

Yeah, agreed. Most of the LED bulbs designed to replace the typical halogens are still very pricey. I'm guessing the big name manufacturers appreciate us replacing bulbs every few years.


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## JohnK007 (Nov 14, 2009)

Ten 4 foot double tube T-8's with plastic diffusers in two rows of 5 along the 26 foot side is where I'd start. That would give you about 100 ft-candles of illumination which is quite bright. I like things bright. I'd switch the banks so I could only turn say two on each side when I'm just running in there to grab something and not hunkered down to do serious work. Without knowing your shop layout however you have to take my opinion with a grain of salt. Here's a calculator that might prove helpful. http://www.a-wall.com/lightcalc.php


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## steve farnham (Jul 11, 2010)

Thanks a ton. Steve


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## steve farnham (Jul 11, 2010)

Thank you for your effort. Steve


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## steve farnham (Jul 11, 2010)

Thank you. Steve


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## steve farnham (Jul 11, 2010)

Thanks so much for your effort. Steve


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## steve farnham (Jul 11, 2010)

Good advise. Thank you. Steve
Sounds like you are a real pro.


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## steve farnham (Jul 11, 2010)

Thanks. Steve


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## steve farnham (Jul 11, 2010)

Thanks, Steve


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## steve farnham (Jul 11, 2010)

I agree. I like Delta older models with style and character. Lathe,table saw,etc


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## rrich (Jun 24, 2009)

Today, the smaller diameter (T-8) 4 foot fluorescent, 32 watt fixtures are probably better than anything else for shop lighting. While their cost may be expensive, initially, the operating costs are about 20% less and give off more lumens.

With that said...

The best thing that you can do, lighting wise, for the shop is paint. Go to HD, Lowe's or Menard's and get the glossiest, whitest paint available for your walls and ceiling. The more that the walls reflect, the brighter your shop will be for the least amount of electricity.


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## JohnK007 (Nov 14, 2009)

rrich said:


> The best thing that you can do, lighting wise, for the shop is paint. Go to HD, Lowe's or Menard's and get the glossiest, whitest paint available for your walls and ceiling. The more that the walls reflect, the brighter your shop will be for the least amount of electricity.


Rich is 100% right on this. When I paneled my garage walls and ceiling in OSB and painted them white it was amazing how much brighter it was in there.:thumbsup:


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## bofa (Jul 17, 2010)

Hah, here we go...http://www.google.com/products/cata...m6M5X4ygXig4XyCg&sa=title&ved=0CEIQ8wIwBjgA#p










This does give me an idea though... I wonder if a custom enclosure for some interconnected under cabinet lights would work.


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## burkhome (Sep 5, 2010)

JohnK007 said:


> Ten 4 foot double tube T-8's with plastic diffusers in two rows of 5 along the 26 foot side is where I'd start. That would give you about 100 ft-candles of illumination which is quite bright. I like things bright. I'd switch the banks so I could only turn say two on each side when I'm just running in there to grab something and not hunkered down to do serious work. Without knowing your shop layout however you have to take my opinion with a grain of salt. Here's a calculator that might prove helpful. http://www.a-wall.com/lightcalc.php


 It's hard to argue with a Cubs fan. I agree with the T8 fixtures. A little more up front. Much more efficient and an abundant light source. The more the better. I have and 11 x 22' shop and have 10 and still use task lighting. Old eyes love light.


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