Introduction
If you are setting up a new garage, lighting will be one of the most tedious tasks. You might feel too much pressure from the layout task.
You might be thinking,” How will I set up my 24×24 garage lighting layout?”
First, you need to calculate the required lumens for your garage. Then you can pick the right kind of light. Fluorescent and LED lights are very popular for garage builds. Furthermore, you can move on to the row-row and pair-pair layout. You should be careful with the wiring too.
That’s just the summary. We have a detailed guide just for your garage lighting layout.
Let’s begin.
Things to Consider in Garage Lighting
Before you start putting up lights in your garage, you should think about a few things.
We have jotted down the most crucial things to consider before lighting a garage. Hopefully, this will ease up the decision process. It is as easy as selecting external light mounting for pole barns.
Light Output
Consider this as the initial step in your garage lighting planning process. The light output depends on your garage setup style.
Lighting should have a minimum lumen output of 50 per square foot as a general rule. For more practical use, you can go up to 80-100 lumens per sq ft.
Working Area
Another factor to consider is the working area and type. If your working area includes light work, you will need more lumens per sq. ft.
You only need the bare minimum if you’re storing things in it. 50 lumens per sq. ft. will do the job then.
Light Source
The origin of the light is an important consideration. It directly contributes to the light quality, price, and lumen factor.
In garages, there are a variety of lighting options available to choose from. These include Incandescent Light Bulbs, Fluorescent Light Bulbs/CFLs, and LEDs.
Fluorescent Light Bulbs and LEDs are the most suitable ones for garage lighting. LEDs are the best for economic lighting arrangements. They have a long life and they cost a lot less electricity.
Ceiling Height
Ceiling height is an underrated factor in garage lighting. With a higher or lower ceiling, the amount of light you require may vary.
A standard 9 feet tall ceiling will require 60 watts of light. It will give around 800 lumens.
A garage with a higher ceiling will require more than 60 watts of light.
Contrarily, a lower ceiling will require less lighting as the ceiling will be relatively closer to the ground.
How Much Lighting Does Your Garage Need
The first part of making a garage lighting layout is calculating the required lighting. To understand this, you need to understand ‘lumens’ and ‘wattage’.
Lumen means the amount of light produced by light. The higher the lumens rating is, the brighter the light will be.
In general, for every square meter of garage space, a minimum of 50 lumens is required. For more practical purposes, 80-100 lumens per square foot will be required.
A 24×24 garage is 580 sq. ft (approx.). Therefore, you will require a minimum of 29,000 lumens total.
24×24 Lighting Layout Options
You can make various types of layouts for your 24×24 garage. It depends on your preferences. It is like choosing the correct type of hose bib in your garage.
However, the most common layouts include row-row layouts and pair-pair layouts. We have described them in detail for your convenience.
Row-Row Layout
The row-row layout is the most common garage lighting layout. 24×24 is a square-shaped garage.
You can fit in 4 rows of LED lights very easily. In each row, there will be 3 LED lights, and place them 6 feet apart. This setup is very easy and requires minimum effort.
And the most exciting part is, you only need twire into 6 zones. Here is the light setup pattern for your convenience.
1—2—3
4—5—6
7—8—9
10—11—12.
Wired into 6 zones, a checkerboard pattern can be used for the most flexibility.
1/7. 5/11. 3/9
4/10. 2/8. 6/12.
Using this wiring pattern, you can flick all the top 3 switches plus the 4th. The bottom three give you more light as per requirement.
Pair-Pair Layout
Another common layout is the pair-pair layout. Here you get to place the LED lights in pairs. You can install 8 4-foot LED lights on your 24×24 garage.
Here is a sample layout diagram of a 24×28 garage using the LED pair configuration.
Source: Electrician Talk
Tips For the Best Garage Layout
To help you design the ideal garage plan, here are some tips. This will help you make a good layout for your 24×24 garage.
- Always measure your garage first to determine your true output needs. This will reduce a lot of hassles
- Buy bulbs with appropriate wattage. You can use the lumen to wattage converter for this purpose.
- You can interchange incandescent bulbs with LED or fluorescent equivalents. This will reduce your electricity usage by a good margin.
- Try different types of lighting configurations. Don’t just stick to one. You can mix overhead lighting with ambient lighting or accent lighting.
- Do not set up lights directly on the eyes or face. This is harmful to health and causes damage to the eyes and skin.
Hopefully, these will come in handy while setting up the lighting layout.
FAQ
Where Should I Place My Garage Lights?
You should place them 6-12 inches above and in the center of the garage door. This distance is measured from the top of the garage door to the bottom of the light fixture.
If there is more than one light, place them 8 to 10 feet apart. This distance is how far apart the light sources are.
How Do I Calculate Lighting for an Area?
First, multiply the room’s size in square feet by the number of foot-candles it needs. For example, for a 64-square-foot bathroom with a foot-candles range of 70 to 80. You’ll need between 70×64 and 80×64 lumens or 4480 to 5120 lumens.
How High Should Exterior Lights Be?
For most homes, the best height for outside light is right about eye level. Most outdoor sconces and wall lights should be hung so that the center point is about 66 to 72 inches above the floor. This is true for most front doors and entryways.
Conclusion
That’s all about 24×24 garage lighting layout. Hopefully, you will be able to make your garage lighting layout.
Do not forget to calculate the required lighting before setting up the lighting. Do let us know in the comments about your thoughts.
See you soon
