KelvinPlanHow much light each room needs, and what colour it should be.

Lighting a 12 × 14 ft garage

Total light needed
8,400lumens
168 ft² × 50 foot-candles
Room area168ft²
Target light levelIES guidance for a garage50foot-candles
Total lumens8,400lm
Colour temperaturecool white for detail work4000–5000K
Bulbs (800 lm each)11bulbs
Recessed cans (4 ft spacing)764 lm each11fixtures
Room
garage
Width
12 ft
Length
14 ft

Where 8,400 lumens comes from

Lighting is specified in foot-candles — lumens landing on each square foot of the surface you care about. A garage is worked to 50 foot-candles. Across 168 ft² that is 8,400 lumens in total.

Split it up

One fixture putting out 8,400 lumens and 11 fixtures adding up to the same number light a room very differently. A single source throws hard shadows and glare; several spread the light and make the room feel larger. Aim for layers — ambient, task, and something low for the evening.

Colour temperature

4000–5000K suits this room. Warmer light reads as relaxed and is what you want where people wind down; cooler light keeps edges and colours crisp, which matters where there is work to do.

Notes

  • Foot-candles are lumens per square foot at the work surface. Ceilings above 9 ft, dark walls or dark flooring all eat light — add roughly 10% per extra foot of ceiling height.
  • Spread the total across several fixtures rather than one bright source. One 8,400 lm fixture and 11 smaller ones add up the same but look completely different.

Nearby sizes