Garage lighting and wallboard recommendations
 

Here's the deal. I'm constructing a new garage with 2 bays and a small work area. It's 31x30, 2x6 construction, with 8x9 overhead doors and a concrete floor. The ceiling height is 9 foot, so no lift :(

What are your recommendations for inexpensive lighting for this. I want it bright enough to do all the normal maintenance/repairs we all do on our trucks.

Also, what material do you suggest I use to finish the interior with?

I would dry wall it, panelling will warp after a while as for lighting, I would go with fluorescent maybe in a 8' lamp....

I would use flourescent lighting and 3/8" plywood or OSB on the walls. Throw up the plywood and paint it white and it will last a lot longer that gyproc

I went with insulation, drywall and heavy duty flourescent lights that are expandable. Next, I'm adding 2 ceiling fans and I'll be set!

What are your fans for? Cooling or exhaust?

I went with osb. You don't have to worry about hitting a stud when hanging something. Plus it was cheaper for me to put up. As for the lighting I have Five lights in a Dice five pattern and two flouresant above my work benches at the front of the shop. A ceiling fan is going to be mounting where the middle light is to move that warm air down when the heat is on. I have 10 foot walls and the garage is 26x28 not quite as big as yours. If you do go with osb sheeting. Rent a sprayer and spray the paint on. You will be there for days trying to fill in all the cracks with a roller. Trust me I know :banghead:

I would go with osb or something similar as well. When that drywall gets wet it's toast. Also, if you have a problem with oil or something it won't be so obvious or destructive. The only problem is fire protection. Drywall will help retard heat and flame, but osb or plywwood obviously won't. The laminate will bake right out of the wood and get super hot.

I've seen plenty of shops with holes in the drywall. I also remember when my dad accidentally ruptured a hydrolic line on his tractor in his shop by mistake. There was hydrolic fluid everywhere (it's a 30' x 30' shop, and there was fluid on the opposite side of the room on the phone!). That stuff would make short work of drywall, but on wood it just coats and dissapears over time. You can also just take a skill saw and cut a section out and replace it without farting around with a sheet of drywall, rasping, mudding, etc.

Another thing you might want to think about is setting up an exhaust fan system with a pipe that runs outside the building near the peak or something. Maybe a couple of horses in an electric motor with a 6" vent pipe to pull fumes out of your garage. That's something I wish my dad had done. That garage can really fill up with fumes when I'm rebuilding a carburetor or something. Also, you can't smoke a cigar without turning the shop into a fog bank.

;)

Mine is pretty close to yours, 30 x 32, I used 2 steal beams running though it with 9ft ceilings with 2x6 construction, I have a full second floor with 4ft knee panels, I was planning on making this a combo play room and storage, it has turned into more storage and very little play room. I did 6" insulation and used plastic on all the walls at the time when I built it, I didn't have the $$ for sheet rock. I also have 9 4ft florescents for lighting and a cheep 80'000 BTU Propane furnace from Home Depot.

:D I,m putting on OSB then steel siding over it.Got a deal at work plus I was worried about fire protection.
You might as well use plywood if your prices in the :flag: US are anything like the prices here :canada: Like $28 a sheet.

CPNE, I was going to use ceiling fans for summer and also to force the heat from my kerosene heater back down in the winter. My new garage is attached to the house so the builder had to use fire rated sheet rock.

considering all the crap you've got layin around why don't you just use a bunch of bedsides for the wallboard(fireproof!!)
you can never have enough lights i like 4footers cause the bulbs are much much cheaper than the 8foots

Mine is a bit odd. It is 13x39 with doors on both ends. I have 6 8' fixtures running down the middle. They are centered so that when the doors are open the lights are not blocked. Then there are 2 sets of 4' fixtures, switched seperately, at the ends for cold weather working. I get pretty good ventilation with the doors open but I'm in need of fans next.

considering all the crap you've got layin around why don't you just use a bunch of bedsides for the wallboard(
What brought this one???????????????????

I haven't done my walls yet. I plan to use plywood at the bottom and skin it with galvanized roofing tin. I'm going with painted green rock above that.

As for lighting, I use 4' drop panel fixtures that hold 4 bulbs each. I have 12 of those, and have halogen track lights to mount above my bench.

I also have 6 ceiling fans mount now, but plan to add central heat and air too...

Jeff, on our 30x30 garage we put OSB on, its good. As they said you can paint or not. Alot better than sheetrock. Also on the ceiling we are going to put new bright barn tin on the ceiling, then flourescent lights, they will reflect off the tin and make it brighter, a buddy of mine did that in his basement, it was cool with some beer signs reflecting off it.

I like 4' Florescent lights. I put receptacles on the ceiling and old cords on the lights, that way I can move them around if I change the configuration of my garage. I have 9 fixtures plus one over the work bench on 3 switches. I only have a standard 2 car garage but you can not have too much light! I have drywall in my garage and it looks just as good as it did 10 years ago when I put it up. I painted the bottom grey to hide some dirt and white on top for light reflection. Dry wall is definitely cheaper and easier to hang.

I am at the same point as you, I need to add lights and siding. One of the concerns that I have is how ell fluorescent lights work in cold environments. According to my handy dandy books here, fluorescent lights should not be used below 40 F. While I plan on having my garage heated, it wont always be, and hereabouts we get as low as -30 F. So I dont know.
After reading here, I am also thinking that OSB, painted a light color, might be a good choice for the walls, with peg board over the work bench for hanging 'stuff'.
I see a lot of people using fluorescents in the north, any input on the cold weather ratings?

jku72, you need to buy cold weather ballasts.

I have regular incandescent bulbs in the garage ( there when we bought the place) But I added flourescent fixtures over my bench and on the wall under the garage door to give more light at that end of the garage. When it gets below about 10 degrees F they are useless.But I have heat for working when it's cold.
If your gonna use drywall, and don't plan to have it taped, at least put a coat of primer on to keep it from turning yellow then brown over time.

When I build my new shop I'm gonna pegboard the whole garage!

My garage is 24x24. I used two 4' flourescent shop lights (the kind with plugs.....just wire outlets to the ceiling) on both side walls, one on the front wall and one on the back wall and two 8' high output fixtures to take care of the shadows in the middle. It works really well. I could use one more 4' fixture against the back wall to help with light under the hood. The 4 footers are hung at an angle towards the middle of the garage. That way no light is wasted lighting the wall. Everyone told me that would never be enough but I've never been short on light (unless I was under the truck :) ). Your shop being a little bigger, I'd go with three 4 footers on each side wall, two front and back and four 8 footers.
I wired the 4 footers on one circuit and the 8's on another......two separate switches.

OSB bottom and pegboard top for the walls.Then find a school that's being renovated.They usually replace the light fixtures and you may be able to buy a pick-up load for cheap.Use the good ones and toss the rest.Save a few for spares.If you find a house being fitted with new cabnets get the old ones and build a 2X top with 1/4 in plywood wear top.Put the light fixtures on cords with plugs in the ceiling wired to switches(they can be moved and you only use what you need).Don't for get air lines for the compressor and extra circuits for the air compressor and welder.

If you plan to do any welding, grinding, or using the hose, I think that the metal sheeting that is used on pole buildings would be great. I intend to use that when I get the $$$ to do mine. They have the panels in white and galvanized. They did tell me that white is better than galvanized when you will be welding, because of the reflections.

Our local supplier if http://www.64metals.com/

Misled

Because I do have a lot of crap and I'm sure Cdowns has seen pics. Just a joke that's all.

Great info here, thanks all

Aluminum Dimond Plate $$$$$$$$$$

If you use pegboard buy the white. Nail and your done. I done my 14x32 garage walls with it. Reflects the light,easy to clean,hang your stuff and gives a neat look.If to go 3 block high before you start the walls your ok when you wash it down. For lights 4 ft as many as needed. Got 13 in mine and 3 more to hang. Sounds like gonna be a good shop.