How to paint my stairwell walls?

[tangman99]

Ok, I've been painting my living room and all I have left to do is the wall going up the stairwell to upstairs. I have an 8 foot folding ladder but I can't use it on stairs. The walls are about 12 feet high in the stairwell (from the stairs) at it's highest point. Does anyone know the best way to get up their to trim the ceiling and paint up high when I can't use my ladder on the stairs?
I know they make special ladders that can bend like scaffoling, but I'm not going to spend over $100.00 to paint one wall. This should be easier than it seems.
Oh, one requirement. I have to live through the ordeal.

 

[nflnutswif]

Bingo! Extension rollers! Pay the extra couple of bucks for a good sturdy one otherwise they have a tendency to bend or unscrew in the middle!
Good Luck

 

[tangman99]

The extension for rolling is not the problem. It's the trimming up against the ceiling that I need to figure out. To do this, I need to get up about 12 feet so I can use a brush and "cut-in" against the ceiling. I can't do this with a roller.

 

[moraym]

can you buy a ladder, use it, and return it?
or try a rental place, some places rent scaffolding equipment

 

[wbilton]

put the ladder at the bottom of the stairs (the ladder does not have to be open if there is not enough room) then slide a board (2x8) from a wrung of the ladder to the the steps, and you have an instant scaffold

 

[fishman830]

my dad's got this awesome ladder, it has 2 ends that fold so then can make a 90* angle, so then you can make a scaffold, and it also will go straight, for a regular ladder

 

[tizzo]

Do you have a balcony or is it enclosed?? If it's a balcony you can use a 2 x 8 or 10 and rest it on the top step over to the balcony rail (not the actual rail but the floor it rests on). If it is enclosed, you can do the same but you have to nail a small piece of 2 x 4 in the wall and use that as a "shelf" to support the other end of the board. The you putty in the holes left over by those nails.

 

[dave flood]

Well, I've been painting for over 30 years, so I can help with this one. I use an extension plank (which you can rent or borrow). You can put it across two ladders, or one ladder and use the stairs. One end of the plank would go on one very tall ladder (on the deep end of the stairs), and the other end would either go on another ladder, or on a stair, depending on how high you need to go. This set up is similar to what WBilton wrote, but if you have to go higher you can use another ladder at the top.

 

[tangman99]

Thanks guys. The extension plank sounds like a good idea. I'll have to do some research and see what that is exactly. The 2x8 would be great except that I don't have one and a Corvette isn't going to haul one. Damn I wish I had a truck some times.
Thanks again for the help. I think I can make this work somehow.

 

[tizzo]

Ok I didn't wanna resort to this but you're forcing my hand. First get a framing gun, air powered if you know what I mean. Tie a strong piece of twine to an individual nail then load it into the gun. Aim, pull back the safety (watch your fingers) and shoot!! Then with paint can in one hand and brush in teeth, climb that rope!! The rest is easy to figure out and pretty much downhill from there.
OK it was a joke but it sounds like fun, huh.

 

[tangman99]

Originally posted by Tizzo
Ok I didn't wanna resort to this but you're forcing my hand. First get a framing gun, air powered if you know what I mean. Tie a strong piece of twine to an individual nail then load it into the gun. Aim, pull back the safety (watch your fingers) and shoot!! Then with paint can in one hand and brush in teeth, climb that rope!! The rest is easy to figure out and pretty much downhill from there.
OK it was a joke but it sounds like fun, huh.

That's a good one. Sorry I did not answer your question, but the balcony is in the middle of the house. My stairwell goes up one side so no way to use the balcony.

 

[dave flood]

you can get ext. plank at rental center,or borrow 1,it opens up to the size you need.