Project Garage, To See or Not to See…
By Sarah Forst
The first Project Garage article left off with finished walls and a few extra outlets. Since then, joint compound has been applied over the seams, corners, and screw holes, the walls have been sanded, and the receptacle covers have all been installed. The walls and ceiling have also been coated with a $15 five gallon bucket of satin paint (easier to wipe off dirty walls) discovered on a home store’s clearance table.
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| “Stock” garage lighting provides no real light for working on car projects! Is that a light bulb back there or did somebody stick a flashlight out of the ceiling??? |
Now it's time to be enlightened! “Stock” garage lighting can be as dim as sunlight during a solar eclipse. Good overhead lighting and task lighting are important to creating a shop-worthy garage. In the past, I've held a pocket flashlight in my mouth trying to adjust the IACV or change a corner light bulb and although my iron count is up, they're not magically delicious, and they emit as much light as a Casio watch.
Let me break down watt's up. Less wattage doesn't mean less light. Wattage is how much energy will be needed to power the bulb. The amount of light is measured in lumens. The energy efficacy of a bulb is measured as lumens per watt; a more efficient bulb has a higher energy efficacy. Bulbs are also rated by degrees Kelvin, the color temperature. A higher Kelvin means a cooler color. Cooler light tends to be brighter and don't affect the appearance of objects as much as warmer light. 4000 degrees and above is considered cooler light. Natural noontime sunlight is rated around 5500 degrees Kelvin. Bulbs also have a CRI, or color rendering index, that describes on a scale from 0 to 100 how true the colors appear. Lower CRI numbers will make the colors appear washed out or grey. A CRI in the 80's or above is preferable.
