RAD Blog

All Lit Up

11/28/2014

I go into a bit more detail on the Lighting page.

Finally! After months of ruminating, I added some new fixtures to the garage. I stuck with the T8's I had, and introduced five new fixtures to spread the light to every corner. The contractor and I had to be creative since a few little obstacles stood in the way of my original plan. In the end, I love it. When I pull a car into the centre of the garage, the light streams down all over and around it. I replaced the "soft white" bulbs with "cool white" and the difference is night and day. It looks like a clinic. Might have to start researching fluorescent dimming switches.

Gary Watts

11/30/2014 02:15:18 am

Been following your progress on Garage Journal. I'm investigating lighting options for my oversized single garage. 2 things that came to mind. 1 is I'd recommend full spectrum bulbs instead of cool white. You can look up the color temperature for the various bulbs. Full spectrum or natural are the closest to natural light. All the others will bias the color (cool white are more blue, warm white is more pink etc).

2nd is are the ballasts in the fixtures you bought cold start? Where you live, the flicker and low output could be an issue. Just food for thought.

Rick

11/30/2014 02:06:26 pm

Hi Gary,
Thanks for popping by. Lighting is a relatively new world to me. I had four fluorescents in there from the start and thought it was perfect. As my flooring and paint scheme have darkened things up, I started looking into my options. Lighting is one thing that I can really see becoming obsessed with. For now, I like the cool white bulbs but appreciate what you are saying. I think the cool whites play well off the darker colours I have in the garage and I don't see any noticeable colour bias. Like most things in my garage, the lighting will evolve over time. Next time I revisit the lighting I may take a look at the full spectrum bulbs, but maybe I take things up a notch like my idol Paul Dalton in the UK. His detailing garage lighting is out of this world.

I'd have to talk to my brother-in-law about the ballasts. From what I can decode the B01 in the MNE248-T832NUNV-B01 stands for "Ballast Disconnect - In-line Power Disconnect (CSA-UL Req'd For Voltages above 150v)". I have never seen a flicker out of them and we've been here 4 years.

Thanks for your comments. Best of luck as you make your decisions for your own space. Sounds like you know a thing or two about a thing or two!

Rick

11/30/2014 02:36:25 pm

Paul Dalton of Miracle Detail's shop: (probably $100K in lighting)
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb223/miracle_063/Miracle%20Detail%20Studio%20-%20The%20operating%20theatre/9b1b7329.jpg

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RAD GARAGE is my personal detailing theatre. I am a teacher who finds immense pleasure in completing deeply therapeutic, thorough and highly satisfying detailing projects in my residential garage. I have converted my suburban double car garage into a world class detailing environment and I enjoy caring for my own car and select cars belonging to others. The garage and the work I complete in it have allowed me to connect with other detailing enthusiasts from around the world.

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OTHER RAD GARAGES

In addition to showcasing my own garage, I enjoy sharing other amazing garages. Here are some spaces that I have featured on my blog:

Tavin Garage
Tyson's Acura Museum
Larry's Charlotte Showroom
dubber's double
Chad's "Next" Makeover
Gully's Dream Garage
Orland Park Audi Oasis
Cory's Industrial Arts Studio
Brynjar's Icelandic Garage
Pat's Controlled Chaos
Greg & Nancy's Place
Brandon Burrell's Toy House

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