Saturday, February 27, 2010

How do you paint a really high ceiling?

OK. I have a really high ceiling that needs to be painted, and theres no way to get to it. I can't stand on a ladder cause the staircase is right underneath it. Any suggestions? I would use a really long handled roller, but what about the edges? Thanks!How do you paint a really high ceiling?
Yuck. I have the same problem in our foyer. I ended up just painting what I could and then hiring a painting crew to come in and finish up. My thought process was that I could minimize the cost of the crew by doing as much as I possibly could on my own and leaving as little for them as possible.





My second thought (justification) was that the painting crew would be much cheaper than a trip to the hospital.





You can do it on your own but you will need to purchase some special equipment and it's probably cheaper and safer just to get a professional. Without seeing the space, I can't recommend equipment for your needs.How do you paint a really high ceiling?
On my home, I place 2 x 4's over my staircase. I have an upstairs hallway, and an upstairs window seat that are level with each other, and run the 2 x4's between them (I use 4), and a sheet of plywood over them makes a very stable platform that I use a ladder on.


They also sell ladders that can be placed on stairs (like the ';little giant';). It may be worth the investment.
Purchase or rent an adjustable ladder like the Little Giant that will adjust for stairs. Short of that, I would agree that you would need to set up some scaffolding.
I was going to suggest a really tall ladder, but now I see the problem :)


You may have to use scaffolding. You could try the long roller handle, but then you have to cut in at the top. Sounds like a scaffolding is the answer!
This is a tough one but I did tackle a similar job years ago. I had a stairwell that needed both plaster repair and painting. It had not been touched in 40 years.The stairwell was open in height to both levels of the home; a two story ';well';. This is hard to explain so bear with me: I built a custom ';scaffold'; by first taking two 4x4's and attaching them to the lowest stair corners. I affixed them to the wall and then cut them level to the same height as the highest stair. I removed the handrails from the walls and stored them. I then laid 2x12's from the highest stair all the way across to the 4x4's until I had a flat, new work surface. In essence, I ';capped'; off the stairwell level with the highest stair to give me a working platform for repairs. I even hinged one of the 2x12's so it would open and close allowing limited access up and down the stairs. The platform was sturdy enough for me to use a ladder on it which allowed me to reach the high ceiling of the stairwell for repair and painting. I did all needed repairs and painting and then removed the platform and repaired all attachment points. I finished up by painting everything below the platform. The stairwell turned out beautifully.
A long handled roller works well. To do the corners and places that are too small for the roller, I take off the roller and then duct tape the handle of a small brush to the end of the long handle. It's awkward but it works good.
If your talking about painting the ceiling in the staircase its pretty simple, use a 16 ft ladder and put some booties on the ends so you don't damage the wall, put the ladder against the forward wall and then get yourself a plank and come off the rung of the 16 ft ladder to a 6ft step ladder at the landing of the hallway (area just before going down the stairs), all of the equipment can be rented Good luck Les the painter,if you need to contact me feel free if it's some other kind of situation

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