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
Denne historien er fra July - August 2021-utgaven av Family Handyman.
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Denne historien er fra July - August 2021-utgaven av Family Handyman.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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7 Bicycle Maintenance Tips
Keep your bike in tiptop shape and ride safe!
SETTING FENCE POSTS WITH EXPANDING FOAM
Any fence builder knows you need strong posts for a strong fence, and that means backfilling the postholes with a dense, hard material other than dirt.
PEBBLE MOSAIC STEPPING STONES
COLLECT SOME RIVER ROCK AND MAKE YOUR OWN UNIQUE STEPPINGSTONE PATH
EARTH-FRIENDLY WEED KILLERS
HEALTHIER CHOICES FOR HUMANS AND THE ENVIRONMENT
DIY! HYDROPONIC GARDEN
FRESH VEGETABLES AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
GROW MINI VEGETABLES
GROW A GARDEN IN A TINY SPACE!
BUILD A VERTICAL GARDEN
TIME TO GROW UP!
MODERN WATER FOUNTAINS
A SPLASH OF PEACE FOR YOUR PATIO
9 ALTERNATIVE USES FOR SAWDUST
Every fully stocked wood shop has a table saw. You can usually find a pile of sawdust under it, even if it's used only occasionally. If a shop has a belt sander or band saw, there's probably another pile of finer sawdust under that. Even people without stationary tools have sawdust accumulation on their workbenches.
INSULATE WITH FOAM
IT'S A GREAT ALTERNATIVE TO FIBERGLASS