Overhead lighting

SPsteam Mar 24, 2023

  1. SPsteam

    SPsteam TrainBoard Member

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    Just moved and the new layout room doesn’t have overhead lighting, looking for options that don’t include an electrician installing lights. I’ve thought about installing track lights with a chord along the wall or even fluorescent light fixtures. Thoughts?
     
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  2. gmorider

    gmorider TrainBoard Member

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    Another thread mentioned LED puck lights.
     
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  3. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Are you the homeowner? Or renting? If the latter, that could impose some limitations upon you for what modifications, if any, the landlord would accept. So you would need something easily removable/temporary.
     
  4. Mike C

    Mike C TrainBoard Member

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    I use Track Lights with a power cord . I don't like the 4 ft led shop lights . The ones I have found are Throw away type , you can't replace the bulbs when they die and they are more expensive . I used fluorescent for a long while but even they made the room warmer . Mike
     
  5. SPsteam

    SPsteam TrainBoard Member

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    I’m the homeowner, so I can do whatever I need within reason. I looked at puck lightning, but the ones I’ve found aren’t very bright compared to other options.
     
  6. sidney

    sidney TrainBoard Member

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    i use led light strips they work great are cheap and work off of 12 volts pretty bright and they stick any where plus you can make lil mounts for them
     

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  7. jhn_plsn

    jhn_plsn TrainBoard Supporter

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  8. rye

    rye TrainBoard Member

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    I just did this in my basement, some amazon $25 LED strip lights mounted to some strips of wood.

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  9. SPsteam

    SPsteam TrainBoard Member

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    I ordered some Barinna LED lights for the layout room, arrive this weekend. They look easy to install. Fingers crossed.
     
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  10. jhn_plsn

    jhn_plsn TrainBoard Supporter

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    Nice. They are easy to install and move. I added mine roughly where I thought they would be most effective. I built a section of layout along a wall and now need to move a section of lights closer to the wall as I cast a huge shadow.

    What color temp did you end up with?
     
  11. Todd Hackett

    Todd Hackett TrainBoard Member

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    Yup, those LED strips are nice. The ones I got are RGB's where you can adjust the hue. Ya, more to do. Anyway, because you have open ceiling joists you might think about putting a 'roof' over your benchwork as you are gonna have dust/debris. Put those strips on the downside of that. Give yourself enough view room so you can look into the layout comfortably along with that reach in to work on stuff. Having the LED's closer to the bench will make stuff a whole bunch brighter of which you can adjust the brightness for running or photography. We do need pix you know?

    Later
     
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  12. gmorider

    gmorider TrainBoard Member

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  13. porkypine52

    porkypine52 TrainBoard Member

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    If you don't want to use adhesive LED strips, there are LED shop lights available. Watch Home Depot--LOWES--Menards etc etc for LED Shop Light sales. I used LED light stripes for the layout room and shop. You can get all kinds of accessories, joiners for making long strips of LEDs, channel for placing the LEDs in for attaching to the ceiling [ I don't completely trust ANYTHING that has self-adhering adhesive ], different colored LEDs and other parts. eBay is a good place to start. looking. Aliexpress is an eBay seller I've had good luck with.
    As an added observation: My layout room is in the basement also. So rather have bare floor joists as a ceiling, I put a ceiling up attached to the floor joists. I just used 3/8" one side good PLYWOOD, and painted it white. This action alone cut out 50%, maybe 75% of the DUST on the layout. I used drywall screws to attach the plywood, this way, if I ever need to get the ceiling down for access to the joists, I can get the ceiling down.
     
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  14. rye

    rye TrainBoard Member

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    Yeah I was thinking about covering the ceiling with some blue cloth to simulate a sky and block falling debris. I'll have to cover it while I do the epoxy work anyway.
     
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