Please give opinion on LIGHTING for HOME BASEMENT GYM, Need assistance badly

[TheStiffmeister]

So my home gym (not pictured) is in my basement.

There are NO WINDOWS and NO NATURAL LIGHTING.

It is Poured Concrete Walls, concrete floors, and wood beams above.

I have some SHOP LIGHTS hanging from the beams. But they always burnout. They are also VERY HARD on my Eyes and makes the room seem "HAZY" if that makes sense.


Here is a picture of a gym (NOT MINE) but this is how my ceilings are.


http://st.houzz.com/simgs/e791ae2e0f...n-home-gym.jpg


Can someone please offer some suggestions on lighting? I cant stand looking directly and seeing


http://www.rotwanglabs.com/cpg1419/a...hop_lights.jpg

thanks guys

[TheStiffmeister]

i should note I bought a bunch of Full Spectrum Bulbs but I feel like the light does not "travel" well with them



i got the Alzo ones. Anyone have any great ideas? I workout at home and the lighting is killing my workouts. Miss that gym environment with great lighting

[Seatard]

A good paint job with some colors that are reflective and give off a positive vibe is where I would start. From there I would say to set up the florescent lights as indirect lighting using reflectors or diffusers or whatever for general room illumination. Use some incandescent bulbs for direct lighting where you need it. Recessed cans or track lighting can be pretty nice with the right trim and bulbs.

[Cleveland33]

I hate overhead lighting in my gym area, so I usually don't have it on. Definitely do not have it on if I am benching.

So I use the lighting in the adjacent room and that gives me enough.

Why not just get a bunch of cheap floor lamps? Or some work lights like these



The halogen bulbs put out a lot of light and you can direct it where ever you want

[michaelstone]

The halogen bulbs put out a lot of light and you can direct it where ever you want

They also put out a lot of heat too, just something to consider.

[ironwill2008]

Obviously, it's a matter of personal preference, but IMO, 4-or-8 ft fluorescent fixtures are about the worst choice possible. The light they give off is just too 'unnatural' looking, (even the 'soft-white' tubes).

I put in a mix of incandescent and halogen floods in my gym. Those, along with some natural light coming in the windows seems like a good blend to me.

[Wildtim]

Well since your basement is unfinished I would figure out how you want it to look when completely finished and plan the lighting for that. Talk to your significant other about future plans for the space. figure out where to put the lighting and install it.

My basement gym is finished with a drop ceiling and fluorescent lights, plenty of them set in the ceiling with the proper type covering panels to diffuse the light so they aren't glaring and completely light the space. They are also where I want them, since I put them there, so I'm not looking up at them when lying on my bench.

[Squeebo]

I have a full spectrum fluorescent torchiere lamp in the corner of mine. It puts out plenty of light. It's made to light a room, so the glass shield around it makes it so it doesn't bother you to look directly at it. It also doesn't get very hot.

[MichaelKB]

Couple of track lights with some dimmers might be nice. Dim down a bit when you're going to be facing up, etc. Tracks would allow you to adjust and fine tune

[Skidmarx]

Lensed fixtures will take out some of the harshness and distribute the light more evenly in the space. These are surface mount but you can still hang them by chains if you need to.

[EjnarKolinkar]

I agree it is good to look forward to your long term goals for the space. Hah, renovate an area for a short term fix for budget reasons often though.

An LED track light system is very easy to install, just attach the track to the joists and poin the heads where you need the light. LED flood style lamps actually have the LEDS oriented to throw a wider light pattern. This type of fixture is often useful even after future upgrade plans, or easily sold on CL.

Agree with other posters on floor based pole lights plugged into wall outlets as another simple short term fix, the three head models allow for some directional illumination. Just avoid use of extension cords.