LIGHT UP YOUR GARAGE

A combination of showroom and task lighting does it best

- JAY CORK

Let’s face it; most garages are poorly lit, often by just a single bulb or fluorescent fixture. To give this garage plenty of light for project work, I installed a task light above the work surface and designed two ceiling islands to provide even more direct light. To add some showroom flair, the islands include indirect lighting that complements the illuminated countertop and the accent lighting along our garage walls.

1 ASSEMBLE THE FRAMES

Each ceiling island uses 1/2-in. MDF for the face and 3/4-in. pine for the sides. After assembling them with pocket hole joinery and construction adhesive, chamfer the edge of the face with a router bit. I sanded the islands lightly and painted them to match the ceiling.

2 DRILL HOLES FOR THE SPOTLIGHTS

Using a hole saw, drill 3-in. holes for the spotlights. Because these ceiling islands were 8 ft. long, it was easy to evenly space the five lights at 16-in. on center.

3 ADD THE ACCENT LIGHTS

Line the inside of each island with an LED strip using a woodblock as a guide to keep the strip centered on the sides. The controller for the LED strips sits inside the islands and is connected to the power supplies with low-voltage cable fished through the ceiling and the walls.

LIGHTING DESIGN

MAKE A DRAWING

A sketch is my most important tool for designing a lighting project. It helps me conceptualize the design and gets me to the next step—the math.

DO THE MATH