Summarize
- Old fluorescent tube lights replaced by energy-efficient LED lights
- A neutral 4000K light shade is recommended for the garage
- High CRI for improved colour rendering and visibility
- LED lighting saves 50-80% of energy consumption
- Installation often requires the help of an electrician for modifications
Old fluorescent lamps need to be replaced. You got it! For this site, suitable stable lights were selected and installed during the renovation. These lights can be adjusted according to the situation, for example with Philips HUE. Read here for instructions on how the garage renovation went.
Which led lights for your garage?
Led lights offer a wide range of light temperatures and we often come across the same question, “Which light colour is suitable for my garage?” The garage is often a working space and we recommend using a neutral 4000K light shade in the garage. If the space is to be a multi-use space, we recommend using temperature-controlled lighting for different situations.Read more about lighting design for stables.
High quality garage lights
Whether you prefer a warm, neutral or temperature-controlled light tone, using high Colour Rendering Index (CRI) LED lighting will always give you success. High colour rendering helps the eye to work better and you see colours as they are intended. Of course, if it’s just a warehouse, CRI80 is sufficient.
The lights in the modern stable are LED technology
Led lights in the garage is practically the only technology available. Halogen and fluorescent tube technology has been discontinued due to their low efficiency. This has been replaced by energy-efficient LED lighting, which saves 50-80% of energy consumption. Led tubes have come to replace fluorescent tubes (CFLs). When installing Led tubes, however, you often have to turn to an electrician, as they often require modifications to the frames.
How much light is needed in a garage?
The lights in the garage and their intensity vary according to the use. This table gives general recommendations for illuminance in lux (lux describes the illuminance on a given surface) for different uses in a pool. These recommendations are indicative and may vary depending on the size of the room, the colours and the reflectivity of the surfaces.
| Function | Recommended illuminance (lux) | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| General lighting | 300-500 lux | Adequate general lighting enables safe movement and basic work. |
| Precise working | 750-1,000 lux | For example electronics repair, painting, small jobs that require a keen eye. |
| Car maintenance | 500-750 lux | Maintenance of the engine and other car parts where good visibility is needed, but not as much as for very precise work. |
| Fitness | 300-500 lux | Sufficient lighting for fitness and exercise, while avoiding excessive glare. |
| Storage | 150-300 lux | A lighting level suitable for areas used mainly for storage. |
Replacing the lights in the garage and making the space multi-purpose
This site had a lighting renovation at the same time as the entire surfaces were being redone. The garage lights were chosen for their shallow mounting depth, good light quality (CRI98) and high luminous efficacy.
Situation at
The starting point was a dark, cramped feeling space that we wanted to make bright and inviting. Here are a couple of pictures:
The steps for the installation of the recessed LED panel were as follows:
- Power cut in the centre
- Dismantling old lamps
- New koolause
- Making plate structures
- Measure the installation locations with a laser and tape measure
- Openings in the slab roof
- Painting and levelling
- Connect the transformer of the luminaire to the power supply, as well as Philips HUE
- Installing led panels in the slots and transformer
- Turning the power back on and testing the lights
- Let’s admire the result
Here are all the steps in more detail.
1. The electricity is cut off from the centre
Find the right fuse in the centre and remove power from the installation site.
Electrical safety first.
Remember that this is an electrical job.
2. Dismantling old lamps
The old garage lights will be dismantled, taken down from the roof and the cables inspected. At this point, before disconnecting the wires, check once more with an electric pencil or a meter to make sure that the voltage is definitely off.
3. New kool-aid
Take down the old framing and add new framing to cover the ugly air ducts. Try to lower the roof as little as possible. They wanted to hide the pipes.
4. Sheet metal construction and electrical work
Pulling the electrical wires ready for the transformer. The luminaires are installed in parallel with the transformer. The ceilings were boarded with plasterboard and the pipes were completely encased.
5. Using a laser and tape measure to measure the installation locations
Symmetry is harmony. Measure the positions of the lamps with a laser and mark them. The chosen garage lights are Panel 600×1200 CCT led lights.
6. Holes in the slab roof
The big LED panels are only 11mm thin, so it’s enough to remove the plasterboard. So there is no need to cut the cables at the lamps!
7. Painting and levelling
The surfaces are levelled and painted.
8. Connect the transformer of the luminaire to the power supply, and pair it with Philips HUE
The transformer of the luminaire can be connected to the power supply at this stage, and the transformers are paired with the Philips HUE system.
This can be done by connecting one luminaire to the transformer as a test. Pairing is done by pressing the “Learning” button on top of the transformer 5 times quickly and the lamps will be found in HUE! From the transformer to the luminaires are separate 3-pole wires. There is plenty of space as the ceiling has large 585x1185mm openings.
Here’s more information on pairing and connecting to Philips HUE
9. Install the garage lights in the openings and transformer
The led panels are connected to the wires and the springs of the led panel are bent up and the lamps are snapped into place like spotlights.
10. Turning the power back on and testing the lights
Now that the LED panels are in place and the power supply for the luminaires is connected, the power can be turned back on and the luminaires tested. Hey they work!
11. Admire the end result
With the messes cleaned up and the old lamps packed in the SER waste, you can admire the result. The lights in the stable exceeded expectations! The space is now multi-purpose.
How much do the lights in the garage cost?
The price usually consists of three components. Installation work, lighting and electrical accessories.
Installation work
In this case, we did not carry out the installation, so we cannot say how much it cost. Carpentry work is 36-60€ / hour.
Led luminaires
For the Led luminaires I chose an old 600×1200 CCT LED panel, without its own transformer. The price of the panels (7 pcs) is 299,00€ / piece and the transformer 600W 495,00€ / piece, and the Zigbee receivers (2 pcs) 99,00€ / piece. So a total of 2786,00€
Plus 2 control buttons 79€/each and a Philips HUE hub for the customer 69€
Electrical supplies
There was little need for electrical supplies, as the lamp transformers could be connected directly to the power lines, without the need to extend or move the wires.
As you can see, the cost is not huge. If you are interested in the latest in lighting, you will find here CCT led panels. And if you need help, our installation service is here to help! Here is the product category where most of the garage lights
Garage lights with colour temperature control
These luminaires were installed with a wirelessly controlled transformer, allowing the colour temperature of the light to be easily adjusted to the desired Kelvin level with a wireless controller on the wall, and dimmed. For example, warm for cosiness (mancave?) or a slightly more neutral and brighter light for working or if you want a gym.
In this project 7 pcs of 600×1200 led panels were used. The aim was to increase the amount of light significantly, as the abundance of light compensated for the shallowness of the space. The panels were stacked 6+1, i.e. each worktop has its own.
Note the wireless buttons on top of the workstation, which can be used to seamlessly control the temperature of the worktop, as well as the temperature of the ceiling lighting.
Philips HUE and various home automations
Those interested in home automation can choose Zigbee transformers with LED panels and thus control lighting with different systems. It allows, among other things, timings and automations. In addition to the Zigbee transformer, you also need a Zigbee bridge, i.e. a hub, such as Philips Hue, LedStore’s Azoula or even Conbee2 and Homeassistant.
Lighting expert
LedStore has been an expert in LED lighting and lighting design since 2010.
We have our own product design, so our products are technologically state-of-the-art.
Products have quarantee for up to 7 years.
We also carry out lighting maintenance.
We focus on temperature-controlled and high colour rendering lights, so they work brilliantly and last a long time.
We do around
500 lighting designs for our clients’ sites.
Read more here or order a lighting design
We offer a service of custom-made led strips, i.e. custom-made led strips in aluminium profile. Also installed. Did you know?
LedStore offers lighting design from 169 euros for the whole house!
Remember that we are always ready to offer our help to you along the way, by email (myynti@ledstore.fi) and by phone (045 251 4510). As always, feel free to share photos of your own projects on social media at ledstore.fi at Instagram and ledstore.fi at Meta. We love to see the great things our LEDs do, and it helps to provide inspiration for those who are unsure of the power and awesomeness of LEDs. Did you know that we already have over 3500 pictures of our LED installations in our Gallery!
Gallery of Led lights:
Product gallery: Pictures of products in different installation locations
Indirect light: Indirect light in different spaces
Room-specific: Light in different rooms
References: Complete houses that have been photographed
