This Martin client turned his garage into a car detailing studio, and I did the lighting.

Why the lights run vertically

Detailing needs a different kind of light from a normal garage. Paint defects show on the side of a car, so the lights are mounted vertically on the walls, where their light hits the side of the car.

What went in

Finished to match the walls

The power point, the lights and the switch are all black to match the walls, and the conduits are painted in the wall colour too, so the electrical work blends into the room instead of standing out.

Car detailing studio in a Martin garage, with vertical LED battens on the black walls and the detailing bench

The vertical battens run around the room, with black fittings and painted conduit to match the walls.

Stage two: a hexagon LED ceiling

Added October 2026. A month after the battens went in, the client asked for more light overhead, and I fitted a hexagon LED grid across the ceiling. The vertical battens light the sides of the car, and the hexagon grid lights it from above. The two stages were separate days, about seven hours on the first and four on the second.

The grid plugs into the power point beside the garage door, which I upgraded from a single to a double power point. It is fixed flush to the ceiling with no gap, so the garage door still opens past it.

Car detailing studio in a Martin garage with a hexagon LED grid across the ceiling and vertical LED battens on the dark walls

The hexagon LED grid across the ceiling, with the vertical battens on the walls below.

Setting up a garage or workshop?

Lighting for detailing, a home workshop or a shed is worth planning around the work you will actually do in there. See shed and workshop wiring, or call to talk it through. For lighting choices see how many LED downlights is enough, and floodlight cameras explained if the garage needs outdoor lighting with a camera.