Light Up Your Garage

Meet the builder: Jay Cork, an associate editor at Family Handyman, is an inventor at heart.

Lighting Design

Inspired by the inlaid lighting design of the countertop, I echoed that shape in the ceiling islands. Each island has five spotlights that connect to 110-volt service. Hidden inside are low-voltage LED strips for indirect accent lighting. Accent lighting for the room is used sparingly but effectively. LED light strips hidden along each of the walls perfectly compliment the ceiling islands.

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

• To figure the power draw, I multiplied the total length (91 ft.) by the wattage per foot (5.1). The result: 464 watts.
• I chose to double up. Two 400-watt, 24-volt power supplies means I’ll have plenty of power now, and when I add more lights down the road.

Buy your Power Cable

• A lighting project like this requires running power cable. Always order extra. If I think I need 100 feet, I’ll order 140.