In a workshop, you don't illuminate a surface: you illuminate actions. And three actions are completely different from each other—reading instructions on a workbench, working under a car on a lift, and going down into a pit.
Most failed installations stem from this: a uniformly lit ceiling, and three areas where you still have to bring out a portable lamp.
Zone 1 — The workbench: light must come from the front
On a workbench, your own torso creates a shadow. If all the light falls from the ceiling directly above your head, your hands will be working in your own shadow.
- Offset the hexagon grid 40 to 60 cm towards the front of the workbench, meaning above where you stand, not above the work surface.
- Aim for 500 to 750 lumens per m² in this area: this is the level where you can distinguish a worn screwdriver imprint.
- If the wall behind the workbench is dark, it absorbs light. A light-colored wall reflects 60 to 80% of what it receives, a bare wall less than 20%.
Zone 2 — The car lift: the problem is the car itself
As soon as the vehicle goes up, it becomes a huge parasol: it blocks the light from the ceiling, and you work underneath it, in its shadow. Increasing the power on the ceiling doesn't change anything—the car body blocks it just as much.
What works:
- Widen the grid beyond the footprint of the lift, by at least one meter on each side. The light then comes in laterally, under the vehicle, instead of hitting the roof.
- Count the lift area at high density, 0.80 hexagons per m² rather than 0.55.
- Keep a mobile auxiliary light for the inside of the wheel wells: no ceiling will illuminate in there.
Zone 3 — The pit: the ceiling is useless
A pit cannot be lit from above, regardless of the installed power. The vehicle blocks the opening. The lighting must be inside the pit, recessed into the walls, at low voltage.
Two non-negotiable safety points: a protection rating suitable for humidity and splashes, and a very low voltage power supply for luminaires within reach. The hexagonal ceiling grid illuminates the perimeter of the pit, not its interior—it is a complement, not a solution.
How to articulate the three zones
| Zone | Density | Grid position | Additional lighting needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Workbench | 0.70 hex/m² | Offset towards the operator | No, if the wall is light |
| Car lift | 0.80 hex/m² | Extending 1 m on each side | Portable lamp for wheel wells |
| Circulation | 0.55 hex/m² | Regular grid | No |
| Pit | — | Perimeter only | Yes, integrated ELV luminaires |
A single series of panels, even with different densities
Varying the density from one area to another does not mean mixing models. The grid is tightened or loosened, but all panels come from the same series: two different references on the same ceiling are immediately noticeable, one pulls towards yellow, the other towards blue, and the workshop looks cobbled together.
Key takeaways
- The workbench is lit from the front, not from above.
- On the lift, the car is the obstacle: you need to extend laterally.
- The pit is lit from the inside, at very low voltage.
- Different densities, yes—different models, never.
To dimension the whole, see the white hexagonal LED kits: configurations range from a single panel to a complete grid, which allows each zone to be treated at its specific density without changing models.
