Leveling Up the Shop: Lighting
So it took 13 months from when we started the process to being able to move into the new house (and as of this writing at 14 months, we still are waiting on a yard to be done). But alas, the important thing is we are in and the work on the new shop begins!
First things first, the lighting. There were originally only going to be 3 lights in the room but we had the builder add 3 more. The builder put in the cheapest LED’s they could get away with (not that I blame them at all, I get it). But it was just too dim for a workshop.
Original basic LED bulbs in the shop.
Too dim to be useful and arguably not safe for a shop. Shops need to be well lit so you can see what you are doing clearly at all times.
The Original Plan
I was originally thinking about, and budgeting for, LED panels from Lumegen that Bob Claggett @ILIKETOMAKESTUFF pointed me in the direction of. My one hang up was on how would I hang the panels to the corrugated steel ceiling.
Why is the ceiling corrugated steel, you might ask? Well, its because the shop is under the garage. So now we don’t have to move our cars out for me to do woodworking. Also with it being underground, it should be a nice all-season shop. Whereas before I tended to avoid it when it was really hot and humid out when my shop was in the garage.
Sure I could lower the ceiling by installing some sort of drop down but the ceiling is only 8’ 6” (259 cm) from the floor and then a 16” (40.6 cm) beam down the middle taking that even lower.
It made my decision a a little easier when it turned out at the time they weren’t even in stock.
Unavailable at the time I needed them, but that’s OK…
Plan B - Easier, Cheaper, Faster.
I was talking to my dad one evening and he had a suggestion. Coincidentally, he is currently adding a new addition on his house and part of his addition is a large garage / workshop.
He found these “LED Garage Lights” that just screw in to the socket and were drastically cheaper than the LED panels I had budgeted for and they came in a 2-pack.
Install & Test
Install was a breeze, since they just replace the bulb. No need to hire an electrician or anything major. The big question was, would they flicker on video? This would be annoying in any future videos for YouTube, etc.
To test that, I very scientifically (mild sarcasm) flipped my phone into the ‘Slow-Mo’ video mode. This is usually where the flicker shows up in my experience. To my happy surprise, there was no flicker.
The new “LED Garage Lights” installed in the shop make it much brighter. And yes, the shop is a mess.
Links
LED Garage Lights - These are the lights I went with and are very happy with.
Lumegen Store on Amazon - This is the store on Amazon where I was originally considering getting panels from.
These are affiliate links which cost you nothing more but help out the Woodshop.