How To Perform a Safe Garage Door Light Installation

Step-By-Step Safe Garage Door Light Installation Process

Your garage door lighting installation process will depend on which light you’ve chosen, the wiring requirements, and where you’re placing it. But here’s a breakdown of how this home improvement process will usually work:  

1. Check Your Garage Structure and Wiring

Quality Overhead Door technicians will start with a check of your garage wall or ceiling where the fixture will go to ensure it can support the light’s weight and mounting hardware. 

They’ll also inspect the wiring. That’s because older garages can still have outdated or damaged wiring or extension cords that isn’t up to electrical codes. This can be a fire risk and complicate installation. 

If the wiring is sound, your technician will map it to understand the safest path for power. But if it isn’t, they’ll let you know what upgrades to make before they start installation. 

2. Safely Mount Fixtures

While mounting sounds simple, it’s where mistakes start to happen. Your light needs to be anchored into solid material, usually a stud, masonry, or a mounting bracket, not just siding or drywall. That’s what keeps it from sagging or pulling loose over time. 

If you’re drilling into brick or concrete, you need to use the right anchors so the fixture stays tight. For instance, if you’re going with wall-mounted options, make sure the height lines up with your garage door clearance and actually throws light where you need it. A professional technician will keep all of these factors in mind.

3. Set up Electrical Connections and Weatherproofing

This is where safety really matters, as electricity is not something to take lightly. One wrong connection can trip your breaker, damage your new fixture, or create a fire hazard. This is why it’s best left to licensed technicians. 

Your technician has the experience to connect the hot, neutral, and ground wires safely, confirm your circuit can handle the fixture, and ensure everything meets electrical codes. They’ll also check grounding and junction box integrity so your wiring remains functional and safe for long-term use.

Once the wiring is complete, the technician will weatherproof any opening around the fixture (using outdoor-rated gaskets, caulking, or covers). This is important because moisture, wind, or insects can corrode wires and shorten your garage door light’s lifespan.  

4. Test Functionality and Safety Features

The installation is done at this point, but your technician still needs to test that everything works without flickering or tripping your breaker. They’ll start with a power-on/off test to make sure the fixture powers on correctly and stays steady.

Once that comes out golden, they’ll check any built-in features. For instance, they’ll adjust motion sensors so they pick up movement when you pull into the driveway, but not every time a tree branch sways in the wind.  

If you’ve gone for smart controls, your technician will connect them to your Wi-Fi or smart home hub. They’ll also test every control option to check if the home automation system works exactly the way you expect.

Why Should You Install a Garage Door Light?

A dark garage can make simple tasks like finding your keys a hazard. If we could give one piece of advice to every homeowner, it would be to install a garage door light. Here’s why: 

• Stop accidents. Your safety is the number one reason to add light. In the dark, your kid’s bike or an uneven patch of pavement can become break-a-bone hazards. A garage lighting system lights up all these obstacles and saves you from painful slips and falls.
• Find what you need instantly. Garage door lighting means you can find things without having to squint or feel around in the darkness. 
• Turn away unwanted attention and improve home security. A dark garage gives intruders the cover they need to work unnoticed. A bright, motion-activated LED bulb will surprise anyone who shouldn’t be there. Indoor and outdoor lighting makes your home a much less tempting target.

How Many Garage Door Lights Do You Need?

How many garage door lights you need depends on the size of your garage, how many doors it has, and how much coverage you want. Here’s a simple way to figure out your garage door lighting system:

• Step back and stand at the end of your driveway or across your street at dusk.
• See how evenly your garage and driveway are lit and where shadows remain.

If you have a single-car garage, one LED garage fixture on the side closest to your walkway is usually enough. But know that placing light strips on both sides could add balance and more even coverage. 

If your garage is larger, you might need multiple lights along the width of the structure. Here’s a quick breakdown of how many lights you should add to your shopping cart:

Garage type	Number of lights
One-car garage	One light on the side near the entry or one on each side to reduce shadows
Double-car garage	Lights on left, right, and center for even coverage; one floodlight works as well
Two-car garage (side by side doors)	One fixture on each side, plus one between doors
Three-car garage	One fixture on each side and between each door, which means four fixtures or two floodlights
Extra-wide or custom garage	Multiple evenly spaced fixtures along the length of your garage, like floodlights or smart lighting

How To Choose the Right Light for Your Garage Door

Placement, brightness, UL rating, power source, and style are the considerations you’ll have to keep in mind when choosing the right light for your garage.

1. Placement

If you install the light too high, it could create harsh shadows. But one set too low might blind drivers pulling in and cause light pollution. To get placement right, here are some rules of thumb to follow: 

Garage setup	Placement	Tip
One-car garage	One fixture on each side of the door	Make sure the bottom of the fixture is about one foot above the top of your garage door frame. This can lighten up the area without shining directly in your eyes
Double-car garage	One on each side, plus one centered above the door	Measure door width and divide it in half to find the center point; choose a larger center fixture to light up your entire driveway
Three-car garage	One on each side, plus one between each door	Use matching fixtures for symmetry and even spacing
Extra-wide/custom garage	Evenly spaced fixtures along the length of the garage wall	Combine decorative lights and floodlights for full reach
Driveway-focused lighting needs	One or two angled floodlights above the garage	Angle beams downward to avoid blinding your neighbors or yourself when you pull in

2. Brightness

When it comes to garage door lighting, brightness is less about wattage and more about lumens because they measure the actual light output. 

For most garage setups, around 700 to 1,300 lumens per fixture is enough. It can help you see clearly when pulling into your driveway, without creating a stadium-like glow that lights the night up.

You also need to understand light color temperature, which is the color of your lights and can change their feel and functionality. It is measured in Kelvins (K) and goes from 2000K to over 4500K: 

• At 2000K to 3000K, you get warm white light with an orange-to-yellow glow. It creates a soft, inviting atmosphere, but may not provide the crisp detail you need for tasks.
• Between 3100K and 4500K, you’re in the cool white or bright white range. These bulbs emit a neutral light with a touch of blue. This makes them great for task lighting and for exterior fixtures.
• Above 4500K, you reach daylight bulbs that give off a blue-white light, similar to natural sunlight. They’re great if you want a lot of visibility, but insects find them irresistible, so you’ll have to deal with bugs. 

3. UL Rating 

If you’re planning to place your garage door lights outside, look at their Underwriters Laboratories (UL) rating. This tells you whether a fixture is safe for outdoor use and has three ratings: 

• Dry. They are for indoor use and can’t handle any moisture or weather. 
• Damp-rated fixtures. They’re for covered and sealed garages with no direct exposure to rain or snow, but they can handle moisture and light dampness. 
• Wet-rated fixtures. They can withstand ice, snow, and intense rain, along with salty ocean breezes. They are good to use as exterior garage door lighting.

In most cases, any exterior lights you’re placing outside will have to be wet-rated, unless they’re located under a large awning or overhang.

4. Power Source

The way your garage lights get their power can affect their brightness, reliability, and long-term maintenance. You could go three ways: 

• Hardwired/plug-in. Hardwired lights are permanent and never need batteries, though they usually require professional installation. Plug-in versions are easier to set up if you have a nearby outlet box, but the cord can limit placement. These are best if you use your garage very frequently. 
• Solar-powered. Solar fixtures are eco-friendly, won’t add to your utility bill, and are easy to install almost anywhere. But they work best if your garage gets a lot of sun. 
• Battery-operated. They’re budget-friendly, portable, and simple to mount without any wiring. But they tend to be dimmer than hardwired options and require regular battery changes. This makes them great for garage spots that don’t need constant lighting.

5. Style  

While lighting functionality matters more than aesthetics, the right style can tie your garage into the rest of your home. Here are a few garage door lighting ideas you could go with:

• Traditional, like barn lights and wall-mounted lanterns
• Modern/contemporary fixtures with clean lines, like sconces, cylinder-shaped lights, or flush mounts
• Rustic fixtures like gooseneck lights 
• Coastal fixtures, especially those with metal cages
• Industrial fixtures, such as bulkhead lights

The best way to find your style is to snap a picture of your garage’s interior and exterior. When you’re shopping, hold the light fixture up to your photo. If it looks like it belongs there, then you’ve found your style. 

Install Your Garage Door Light the Right Way With Quality Overhead Door

Some garages need more brightness, others need weatherproofing, and many could use smart features to make using them easier. If your new garage feels dark, unsafe, or plain inconvenient, here’s what to do:

• Check your current fixtures and light sources for damage or weak output.
• Think about placement and style to match your home and improve curb appeal.
• Call Quality Overhead Door. If you’re unsure where to start or want the job done safely, this is where we come in.

At Quality Overhead Door, we’ve been helping homeowners and businesses across Rochester and Southeast Minnesota for over 40 years. Our technicians have the training and experience to match the right fixture to your garage door style and install it to code. 

We also repair fixtures that flicker or never turn on when you go to light things up. If you want to get your interior or exterior lighting fixtures back in order and set up to last, schedule a maintenance call today! Our phone number is (507) 281-2772.