Need advice on upgrading lighting in my garage
 

We recently bought a house, and it still has the original garage lighting -
a single 60W bulb mounted on the wall next to the door.

I want to work in the garage, so I need to add some lighting. We live in
San Diego, and our winters don't usually get below 50 degrees, so I figured
I'd go with fluorescent lights.

The problem is that the walls and ceiling are all finished, and I dread the
idea of tearing out the sheet rock just to run wires around the ceiling
(there are rooms above the garage, so I can't just go into an attic and do
it that way).

I'm trying to figure out what my options are (and of course, after buying a
house in SD, I'm too poor to hire an pro). Anyone out there done anything
like this?

Any advice would be appreciated.

-Scott

In article ,
Scott Smith wrote:

We recently bought a house, and it still has the original garage lighting -
a single 60W bulb mounted on the wall next to the door.

I want to work in the garage, so I need to add some lighting. We live in
San Diego, and our winters don't usually get below 50 degrees, so I figured
I'd go with fluorescent lights.

The problem is that the walls and ceiling are all finished, and I dread the
idea of tearing out the sheet rock just to run wires around the ceiling
(there are rooms above the garage, so I can't just go into an attic and do
it that way).


You are going to make a hole in the sheetrock to mount your fixture(s)
anyway, right?


Dimitri

"D. Gerasimatos" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Scott Smith wrote:

We recently bought a house, and it still has the original garage
lighting -
a single 60W bulb mounted on the wall next to the door.

I want to work in the garage, so I need to add some lighting. We live in
San Diego, and our winters don't usually get below 50 degrees, so I
figured
I'd go with fluorescent lights.

The problem is that the walls and ceiling are all finished, and I dread
the
idea of tearing out the sheet rock just to run wires around the ceiling
(there are rooms above the garage, so I can't just go into an attic and do
it that way).


You are going to make a hole in the sheetrock to mount your fixture(s)
anyway, right?

Dimitri

Yeah, no problem with small holes that I'll cover up (or fill) with the
fixtures. But since the existing switch goes to a wall-mounted 60W
incandescent fixture about two feet above the switch, I pictured having to
remove large amounts of sheetrock to run wiring up the wall and across the
ceiling to the fixtures. Then I'd have to replace all that sheetrock and
repaint. At that point, it starts looking like more time and money than
it's worth.

I'm wondering what the alternatives are, or if there are ways to do this
without ripping out a ceiling...?

-Scott

In article ,
"Scott Smith" wrote:

I want to work in the garage, so I need to add some lighting. We live in
San Diego, and our winters don't usually get below 50 degrees, so I figured
I'd go with fluorescent lights.

The problem is that the walls and ceiling are all finished, and I dread the
idea of tearing out the sheet rock just to run wires around the ceiling
(there are rooms above the garage, so I can't just go into an attic and do
it that way).

Back in the old days when I lived on a farm, we used surface
mount electrical fixtures for wiring in the farm buildings.
We could buy surface mount light switches, outlets, and lamp
sockets. You just screw the fixture to a 2x4 (or any other
surface), then run standard electrical wire between the
fixtures. In your case, you would want to put in outlets
where each of the lights will go, then get lights that have
standard A/C plugs on them. It works real slick.

-john-

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================================================== ====================
John A. Weeks III 952-432-2708
Newave Communications http://www.johnweeks.com
================================================== ====================

"Scott Smith" wrote:

We recently bought a house, and it still has the original garage lighting -
a single 60W bulb mounted on the wall next to the door.

I want to work in the garage, so I need to add some lighting. We live in
San Diego, and our winters don't usually get below 50 degrees, so I figured
I'd go with fluorescent lights.

The problem is that the walls and ceiling are all finished, and I dread the
idea of tearing out the sheet rock just to run wires around the ceiling
(there are rooms above the garage, so I can't just go into an attic and do
it that way).

I'm trying to figure out what my options are (and of course, after buying a
house in SD, I'm too poor to hire an pro). Anyone out there done anything
like this?


It's easy. Buy fluorescent fixtures with a standard cord and plug. Hang from
ceiling and plung into light socket with screw in adapter.

In article ,
"Scott Smith" wrote:

We recently bought a house, and it still has the original garage lighting -
a single 60W bulb mounted on the wall next to the door.

I want to work in the garage, so I need to add some lighting. We live in
San Diego, and our winters don't usually get below 50 degrees, so I figured
I'd go with fluorescent lights.

The problem is that the walls and ceiling are all finished, and I dread the
idea of tearing out the sheet rock just to run wires around the ceiling
(there are rooms above the garage, so I can't just go into an attic and do
it that way).

I'm trying to figure out what my options are (and of course, after buying a
house in SD, I'm too poor to hire an pro). Anyone out there done anything
like this?

Any advice would be appreciated.

-Scott

You can surface mount electrical wiring. You should check with your
local building inspector to see if this is code approved in SD.

Wiremold is one brand of surface mounted electrical wiring fixtures.
Replace the light fixture with a surface mount box, and run the wire
through a raceway to where you need it.

Otherwise portable halogen task lights on extension cords work well.

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