How To Paint {Or Clean} Staircase Walls And Ceilings
When you need to paint staircase walls and ceilings it is difficult to know the best and safest way to do this.
06/03/2021
Why spend over R4000 on a ladder platform {as shown above} when you can make your own for under R400?
Living in a double-storey home means that when it came time to paint the walls and ceiling at the staircase, I was always looking for ways to make it less work without sacrificing my safety. But after watching a few helpful videos I discovered that it doesn't have to be that difficult a task and you can do it safely.
The trick to painting staircase walls and ceiling is to make yourself a ladder leveller platform. I did try a Google search to find this locally but didn't have any success of the items I found that were slightly similar, the price tag was way too high for the average homeowner. This nifty piece of equipment makes it so much easier to reach the ceiling and high walls that need to be painted while using a conventional ladder.
Staircases are tricky to work around with only a ladder and it's almost impossible to do it without risk of life or limb. I am calling it a ladder leveller because that's how it works - it makes a level platform on which to stand your ladder while you work, and making one is a quick and easy project with some scrap wood or bought pine that will only take about an hour to make. I have included a video below where you will find instructions for making a ladder levelling platform for yourself using reclaimed wood or PAR pine that you can buy at any Builders store.
In many other countries, you can hire a ladder leveller for the purpose of steadying a ladder when working around a staircase, but I was unable to find this locally.
Where you have a situation with only a few steps, you can use an adjustable ladder {as seen below} for this purpose. These ladders can be locked into several configurations that let you set up a platform on which to move around safely.
Specialist ladders designed for use on a staircase aren't cheap and unless you are going to be using them for more than one occasion, try to find a source that hires these out so that you don't have to fork out to buy one.
GOOD TO KNOW: Having watched the video, I would seriously recommend attaching a frame around the edges of the top of the platform to prevent the legs of the ladder from slipping around. I would also suggest affixing a rubber mat on the top of the platform for added safety and security.
In the video below, you will see step-by-step instructions for making a basic platform to hold a ladder level while you work above and around to paint or clean walls and ceiling.
Another variation of a platform to hold a ladder secure while you work on walls and ceilings is a basic plywood box that fits onto the stairs and can be seen below. Instructions for this particular ladder platform can be found here on Instructables.
