Perfect Garage Lighting

A dimly lit, drab garage space may not be at the top of your home improvements list, but it can be easily transformed with the right lighting. Creating the perfect garage lighting can transform your workspace from a dim, shadowy area into a bright, functional environment. Whether you’re working on DIY projects, vehicle maintenance or just require better visibility for storage, the right lighting solutions can make all the difference.

In this guide, we’ll explore the best options for garages and provide tips on using the right fittings and layouts to illuminate your space effectively. We’ll be looking at energy efficient LEDs and task lighting and will guide you through the process of achieving optimal brightness and clarity in your garage. In order to show you the best ideas for lighting your garage, we will need to know the size of the space we are illuminating.

Average UK Garage Size

• For a small or medium-sized car, the average UK single garage measures 2.55m x 5.2m, which is enough space to park your car and open the doors.
• If you have a two-car garage with space to open the doors on both sides, it will measure around 6m x 6m.
• For larger garages with room for storage, work areas and utility, add another 1m-2m to the width. This provides valuable space for your bicycles, laundry machines and your workbench for example.

Calculating Light Levels using Lumens or Lux?

Lumens are the measure of light visible to the human eye, so a traditional 100w light bulb would emit around 1600 lumens for example.

Lux levels are the measurement of the light intensity within a space. A 100w light bulb 15 feet from the floor in a large room emits 1600 lumens of light, yet gives you a much lower lux level than if it was only 8ft from the floor in a smaller room.

It is important to know the lux levels required as a minimum in your garage to ensure safety and a well illuminated environment. While it’s not an exact science, it is essential to get the lighting levels correct for comfort and safety.

Recommended Light Levels

• Garage for car parking only to ensure sufficient visibility for parking and safe manoeuvring of your vehicle, it is recommended at least 100lux.
• In a garage for car parking with additional work area, you should illuminate the working area to 200 – 300 lux and use additional task lighting where necessary. This will give adequate light to perform detailed or intricate work, avoid eye strain and provide comfortable illumination.
• If you have a utility area in your garage, we recommend around 200 lux minimum to provide sufficient brightness for laundry tasks, which ensures good visibility without being too intense.

Which Colour Temperature is Best?

For a garage or workshop area, we would recommend an LED colour temperature of between 4000k and 6500k. This range is often described as cool white or daylight and will provide clear and bright illumination making it easier to perform tasks such as parking, maintenance and organisation within the space.

Garage Lighting Examples

Here are some examples of different sized garages being put to various uses. We have assumed a ceiling height of 2.4m, although some garages will have a lower ceiling height than this. All calculations have been achieved using RELUX software

Single Garage with parking only. 2.5m x 5.2m

Adequate garage lighting is provided for parking using an IP65 rated single 5ft 24W LED non-corrosive batten producing 3360 lumens in daylight white. This has given us a light intensity of around 115lux. You can see this is more than satisfactory to light the area and assist in accurate parking.

Single Garage Parking with Workbench 5m x 4m

Two fittings are used in this example, using only 74w of energy and providing 10360 lumens in total. A single IP65 rated 5ft 24W LED non-corrosive batten producing 3360 lumens in daylight white for general lighting, plus a 5ft 50W LED non-corrosive batten in daylight white producing 7000 lumens over the workspace.

This has given us a light intensity of over 300 lux on the workbench area, which means your DIY tasks can be completed in a comfortable and well-lit area. You can see from the plan that the extra light spread over the working area will make tasks completed here much easier.

Double Garage with Work Area 6m x 7m

Four fittings are used in this example, using only 96w of energy and providing 13440 lumens in total. Four IP65 rated 24W LED non-corrosive battens provide a light intensity of over 200lux in the general parking area, plus additional light over the workbench to illuminate the workspace.

At Universal Lighting, we stock a full range of bright, non-corrosive IP65 rated battens for lighting a domestic garage, workshop or stables.

What are the benefits of using the correct lighting and lux levels in your garage?

• Improved visibility and safety. Adequate lighting reduces shadows, helping to prevent accidents while parking or moving around the garage. Good visibility makes it easier to locate and use tools and equipment when completing a DIY project or using your utility appliances.
• Proper illumination allows you to perform tasks more efficiently, whether it is minor car maintenance or other activities.
• Bright, even lighting reduces eye strain and fatigue, enabling you to work comfortably for longer periods.
• Better Security. Well lit garages deter potential intruders and makes the area more visible from the outside.
• Aesthetics and functionality. Proper lighting improves the overall look of the space, making it more pleasant and inviting. A Well-lit garage can serve multiple functions, such as a workshop or a workout space.
• Energy efficiency. Making sure you use the correct LED lumen output can reduce energy consumption and give a very long lifespan compared with incandescent lighting.

In conclusion, it may not seem that garage lighting is that important, but getting it right can make the space less dreary and shows that utilizing the space for other activities can bring the area to life.

How can Universal Lighting help you?

We can help with the design, layout and placement of your garage lighting, workshop or stable lights and ensure that light levels are correct for the area being lit and activities being undertaken. Make a start on your garage project today and call 0151 650 2138 to speak with a member of our team, or use the contact us form for free expert advice.