This one came from a customer in Glendora, California, an off-road shop that builds and outfits trucks. They bought the hexagon lights from us and installed the whole ceiling themselves.
The result is one of the better-looking shops we've supplied, so we asked if we could show it off.
Why the black paint matters
Look at the walls and ceiling: flat black, everywhere. That's the trick behind every hex ceiling that looks this good in photos. The black surround gives the lit hexagons nothing to bounce off, so the pattern reads as sharp white lines against a void instead of washing the whole room out. Paint the ceiling white and you get a bright room, but the grid disappears.
It also means the light that does come down is doing useful work on the vehicle rather than bouncing around the shop.
What it does for the work
The practical argument for a hex grid is the same one detail shops make: the light comes at the vehicle from many angles at once. A single fixture overhead puts one hot reflection on a panel and leaves the rest in shadow. A honeycomb wraps the body in an even field of light, so defects in paint, a missed spot on a polish, or a bolt behind a bumper are all visible without dragging a work light around.
For an off-road shop that means seeing what you're doing under a truck that's up on 37s, and it means every build that rolls out gets photographed on a ceiling that looks like this.
Planning a ceiling like this
Hexagon lighting is modular. Straight segments connect at the corners to form the cells, so the pattern grows to fit whatever ceiling you have. A few things worth knowing before you order:
- Measure the ceiling, not the floor. Obstructions matter — note where ductwork, beams and heaters run, because the grid has to work around them. You can see this shop routed their pattern around a duct down the middle.
- Decide on the border. A bordered layout gives you a clean rectangle; a borderless one lets the honeycomb bleed toward the walls. Both look good, and it changes the segment count.
- Black it out first. If you're going to paint the ceiling dark, do it before the lights go up.
- Plan the power drop. The run needs to land somewhere sensible, ideally above the pattern where you won't see the wiring.
Want one in your shop?
We stock honeycomb hex, square grid and zig zag layouts in several sizes — see them all in Hexagon Style Shop Lights. Send us the dimensions of your ceiling and we'll work out the segment count and draw the layout for you, free.
Call or text 817-440-4862. We ship nationwide, and Dallas–Fort Worth customers can pick up in Burleson.
Thanks to our customer in Glendora for the photos.