In a previous blog post, we covered everything you need to know about exterior garage door lighting. But what about the inside of your garage? This is a valuable, but often overlooked space in your home.
Interior garage lighting helps you productively use the space and increase your home’s value.
In this guide, you’ll learn about the different types of lighting fixtures, and where to best utilize each type.
Reasons to Bring Light Into Your Garage
There are multiple reasons why you would want to implement lights inside your garage door. Some may resonate better than others depending on the purpose of your garage, but even if you just use the space for storage, lights are a must-have to reduce injury and increase the security of your home.
Enhanced Safety
Whether you’re using your garage as a storage space, a workshop, or something else completely, extra light can be an extra layer of safety for everyone in your home. If you’re working in your garage, better visibility reduces the risk of an injury, like tripping over loose equipment.
A quarter of homeowners have too much clutter in their garage to be able to park their cars, let alone use the space productively. This clutter can cause accidents to occur unless the space is properly lit.
Increased Security
Similar to interior lighting adding safety precautions to your home, they also add security. If the space isn’t well-lit, an intruder might assume that no one is home or the room isn’t used often and is an easy target. Lighting, specifically motion detectors, can act as a deterrent to those walking by.
Garage ceiling lights can also alert you if there’s unwanted company in your garage space. Some models even ping your phone when there’s movement, so even if you’re not home, you can still feel protected.
Flexible Functionality
Although a majority of people use their garages for parking their cars or for storage, there are different ways to utilize the room. Interior garage fixtures can give you more flexibility on how to use the space.
Higher Resale Value
When and if the time comes, investing in your home can provide a higher resale value. Because of the reasons we listed above, interior garage door lighting is more appealing to a potential buyer and may help you get an increased price for your home.
Planning for Interior Garage Fixtures
Before we dive into the different types of lights, it’s important to have a plan in place for garage lighting placement. For most interior lighting, you’ll need outlets to plug them into. As you’re planning for new fixtures, consider where the outlets are in the space, or if renovations need to be made.
If you’re looking for cabinet lighting or task lighting, you can use strips which typically are charged with batteries. You can also find solar-powered or rechargeable lights through USB ports. These options won’t require renovations to add more outlets and are more environmentally friendly.
Types of Lights for Garage Interior
As you begin searching for types of interior garage fixtures and options, you might become overwhelmed with the choices. We’ll start with your entire garage space and then highlight some smaller options for specific places.
Natural Lighting
We’re going to go into more detail about interior garage lighting and installations, however, windows are a great natural resource for light as well. If you live in a sunny climate, windows can be an efficient way to add lighting to your garage space.
Windows may not be sufficient for lighting the entire space, especially if you’re using it as a workshop or machinery space. However, it’s a great place to start because natural lighting can provide a lot of benefits for you and your home.
Overhead Garage Lighting
There are a lot of different choices for overhead lighting. The differences between each type boil down to cost, energy efficiency, and heat produced from the light. Below, we’ll highlight the most popular options and how they compare.
- Fluorescent lights. Fluorescent lights are commonly used as overhead lighting for businesses and warehouses. Just like incandescent lights, they are a cost-effective choice. They are going to produce a lot of heat so monthly utility bills might increase to control interior temperatures.
- Incandescent lights. Just like fluorescent lights, incandescent lights are a popular choice for homeowners because of their efficient costs. They also produce a lot of heat to give off light. Because of this, they aren’t as energy-efficient as LED lighting.
- Halogen lights. Compared to incandescent lights, halogen lights use halogen gas that increases light output and longevity of the light. These lights work well as workshop lights, but they produce more heat than LED lights and can increase costs to cool down the space.
- LED lights. This final type of lighting is the most efficient option between these four types. LED lights are up to 80% more efficient than incandescent lights, and give off less heat. If you live in a warmer climate, these lights are a better choice so you can better control interior temperatures in your garage space.
LED lights are also long-lasting and are easy to install yourself! Strips are available for purchase and can give you flexibility on placement.
Motion Sensor Lighting
Motion sensor lighting, as we mentioned above, is a great option for increasing your home security. They’re also a convenient option if you have your hands full and need to find your way around your garage.
This type of overhead garage lighting is also energy efficient. Think about how many times you leave the lights on for longer than they need to be. With motion sensors, they’ll turn off automatically once you’re out of the room.
Spotlights or Smart Lights
Similar to motion sensor lights, smart lights are convenient and hands-free. These lights help make your home more energy-efficient and secure. Spotlights are Bluetooth-enabled so you can adjust the brightness and turn it on or off from the convenience of your phone.
Because you can control the lights from your phone, you can make sure the lights are turned off when you’re not home. Or you can turn the lights on when you’re close to home rather than fumbling around for light switches.
Task Lighting
Proper interior lighting in your space can enhance and support the purpose of your garage. If you have lots of storage or cabinetry, you can put cabinet lighting inside the doors or on the shelves so there is clear visibility as you’re organizing or maneuvering through the room.
If you’re constantly moving around in the space, portable task lighting is also a great option for flexibility. Where overhead lighting illuminates the entire space, task lighting is more focused on a single area for better vision.
Lights on the Inside of Your Garage Door
Small strips of lights can be put on each section of the inside of your garage door. These can be used as an extra precaution, especially if you’re opening or closing your garage door when it’s dark outside.
If lights are on your garage door, they can help you see the path directly under, which reduces the risk of tripping or injuring yourself.
