117becca

Nativetexan was commenting on the daylight bulbs being blue. Yes they are, but I also think the light that is put out depends on the manufacturer. I remember getting some GE Daylight(?) curly fluorescents and they were beyond awful - so awful that i took them back. Really saw a blue cast. Haven't had any issues w/ other daylight bulbs.

I have daylight 4 ft fluorescent bulbs in my other fixtures and like them alot.

sewnclog

I posted before about my lighting. I too recently replaced all my fluorescent bulbs with the LED type. I love them. Yes they cut down on cost and heat but more importantly fluorescent bulbs can fade your fabric and thread. Something else to consider. You don't want your lovely items fading from the bulbs. They do the same as the sun, damage wise. Good luck on your new gal cave!

leighway

Be exceptionally careful with those curly bulbs. They contain mercury and are toxic. If one should break, DON'T pick it up with bare hands and don't throw it in the garbage (mercury in landfill, then into water.) Call Lowe's and ask for location of a recycling place where you can take the broken bulb...and meanwhile look on You Tube for how to handle broken curly bulbs...as in whether to put them in a cardboard box and seal it or what? We took every one of those out of our home once we realized they were lethal and we spent the money to replace with LEDs...never looked back. And be careful if you get that stuff on your skin and especially if you cut yourself and the mercury gets in the cut...bad news.

Peckish

Actually, it depends on the "temperature" rating.

Manufacturers will post information or a graphic on the packaging that tells you how "warm" (yellow) or "cool" (blue) the light bulb is. The higher the number, the cooler the color. 5000 is considered to be daylight, 3000 is warm, 7000 is very blueish-white.

Peckish

It's not JUST the curly bulbs - nearly ALL fluorescent bulbs contain mercury. However, according to this article, the danger is a little overblown.

http://energyblog.nationalgeographic...rns-addressed/

blueheavenfla

We, too, have used the solatubes in several areas of our house but since my sewing area is in the walk out basement with 2 tiny windows (one holds an AC unit) and a 2 car garage door with no window, I have used a fluorescent type tube light with LED bulbs within the tubes. They come in warm and cool and are wonderful. You can never have too much light in a sewing area IMHO. Good luck in finding just what you need considering the placement of various work areas in your room.

NiaJane

Check in with your electric company about led bulbs. My daughter recently learned she could buy led bulbs through the electric company for .87 cents each. She converted her whole house for very little money. Should anyone have the same electric company, it is Entergy.

selm

You've been given a lot of good ideas about lighting. Have you looked at the placement of the windows you are putting in? Would it work better for equipment/furniture placement if you put two windows in one wall and maybe have one wall without any windows? Look at windows from the lighting perspective also. Amount of sunlight, view, etc may affect placement of windows. I like to just sit in a chair in the middle of the space and think of all these factors to come to a final decision about placement.
I feel your pain about moving having moved a year ago but you have an exciting sewing room to look forward to.

klswift

I prefer any lighting to have a daylight look, it really helps with seeing fabric correctly. You should have an overhead light of some form that will light the entire room. I have mine on a dimmer switch because sometimes I want only a small amount of background light. Then look at how you set up your space and use work area lighting. A floor lamp perched behind a comfy chair for hand work and just taking a break and reading. Task lighting for the work benches and a good overhead light for the cutting table. Just watch which way the light goes so you don't create shadows. And have you electrician put in lots of outlets so you can tweak your setup as you settle in!

citruscountyquilter

We too put a solartube in our bathroom and love it, love it! It has a frosted cover on it so it's not like a skylight and I don't think you have to worry about fading as much with it.