How to paint tall stairwell?

[FabriGator]

Okay, it's not in my garage, but I have an entry stairwell that 40 years of experience can't tell me how to paint.

It's an up-down entry, small entry landing with seven stairs down and seven stairs up. On the down side is a wall that runs to a slightly vaulted ceiling, so it's probably 15 feet up from the landing. There are iron railings around the up side.

All I need to do is get up to the wall to paint it and cut the ceiling line, and (the hard part) get to a hanging ceiling lamp to take it down, do some cleaning and refurb, and put it back. And I can't for the life of me figure out how to get up there. I have an adjustable ladder, but it's not big enough, and there's nowhere to set it on the various surfaces. I guess a scaffold flat could go across the railings, but that still leaves even a taller guy than me a couple of feet short of reaching either the upper wall corner or the lamp base.

How in the PRELL do you reach interior surfaces and fixtures like this? The only thing I can think of is way too much scaffolding...

 

[dfiler2]

They make a couple of different platforms or adjustable leg ladders that work pretty well. Then a fairly short extension ladder with those cover pads on the top.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08F7777FY/?tag=atomicindus08-20

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09LVF8L2Y/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Werner Plastic Polymer Blue Extension Ladder Covers 1 pk - Ace Hardware

The AC19 extension ladder covers help prevent damage to support surfaces. Designed to snap over extension ladder rail end caps. Resists paints, stains, thinners and solvents. Can be used on all single and extension fiberglass and aluminum ladders.Find the PROTECTR LADDR TOPWAL PR at Ace.

www.acehardware.com

 

[619DioFan]

Extra long extension pole and roller. you can buy an adapter for extension poles that hold a paint brush at various angles for cutting in the top edge.

 

[nadogail]

Long poles on rollers and brushes have a technical name "Man Helper"

 

[Bucko]

It looks a bit sketchy but I built some makeshift planks at my old house because the stairs were a very odd design. The entry had crown molding that also needed painting so trying to cut in with a brush on a stick was not going to do it, its actually how the previous owner had it done and it looked horrible. The stairs had a small "shelf" at the turn and I used that for support. The planks were just 2x4's and osb. I am 6'4" and 270 pounds, and it held me just fine.


ETA: Looking at your photos again you are in much better shape than I was for space. I would attempt just using ladders. As already mentioned by Dfiler2 and K'ledgeBldr the little giant type can get you in some tough spots and the platforms get you into the others.

 

[K'ledgeBldr]

Little Giant Ladder!
I've put mine to the task several times! PITA to move around- but I can get right to the ceiling to cut-in.

 

[The Cobbler]

how do you change the light bulb? LOL
I would fab up some scaffolding to set ladder on, even if you screw in to the walls it's an easy fix & paint .
if it was just paint, I'd suggest getting quotes from a few painters

 

[73fxe]

Extension ladder, good plank, and a stepladder. Put the extension ladder up the outside wall plank over to it and the stepladder on the top floor.

 

[nadogail]

how do you change the light bulb? LOL
I would fab up some scaffolding to set ladder on, even if you screw in to the walls it's an easy fix & paint .
if it was just paint, I'd suggest getting quotes from a few painters

Use a "Bulb Snatcher" a sort of a basket on a long pole. I used to replace bulbs in Department Stores and Bank Lobbies with them.

 

[gtae07]

I painted our stairwell by building a platform on the stairs and using the HF little giant knockoff on top of it. That was something like nine years ago.

Next time I think I might just hire someone because it was a PITA and I don't like ladders.

 

[racecougar]

Use a "Bulb Snatcher" a sort of a basket on a long pole. I used to replace bulbs in Department Stores and Bank Lobbies with them.

How would that work with the OP's fixture?

I've painted a nearly identical stairwell at my old split-level using a small extension ladder with mitts to protect the wall.

 

[Innovate1]

Some built scaffolding like Bucko did would work - make sure you brace it so it can't collapse! Or just ladders. If you have individually adjustable legs on an extension ladder or put some blocking on the stairs so there is level footing it looks like it all could be done with a long enough extension ladder. But the lamp would likely be out of reach. Looks like there is room for a bakers rack type scaffold but you probably need two sections to reach the top or a good sized ladder on one section. I picked up 2 sections on sale a couple years ago for work in my tall garage but you should be able to rent them too.

 

[bbbarracuda]

That's when you hire a contractor with really good insurance!
Then close your eyes and let them work.

 

[FabriGator]

Thanks, all, good answers that confirm my 5-year judgment of "needs gonzo scaffolding" and "best if it's someone else's!"

Paint is the minor issue here. I already painted the wall pretty well with a long roller (when I could get the fun double-expanding handle away from the kids, sigh). You can just barely see the ragged top edge in the right light... but cutlines are something I obsess over.

The real problem is getting to that light fixture. I can't get even my adjustable ladder in a position to reach up and change the bulbs, so one has been dead for two years and the fixture is a dirty moth graveyard to boot. Reaching the ceiling bezel... ain't gonna happen, and two paint-slops on it show me no one has tried in a long, long time.

My REAL goal is to get the fixture down, clean it, put in long-life bulbs (maybe some WiFi enabled ones for color and dimming), shorten the drop rod, and put it back up. That will open up a foot of top space... so that I can do the really cool trick of using that useless, enormous wall as a projection screen. Not having a TV (obviously) in a room is a thing for me, and I can replace an older 55" with probably a 90-100 inch projection. Win-win-win, but I need meticulous paint on the wall and that damn fixture up out of the way. (WiFi bulbs will be an asset here.)

And I suspect that what's effectively about 30 minutes of work is gonna cost me.

 

[niget2002]

I would think a Little-giant ladder would be your friend in this situation. The ability to adjust the legs so that one side can be shorter and on the stairs and the other side longer and on the landing.

My stairwell had a very similar light-bulb issue. I borrowed my neighbors little-giant ladder and used it to do just this. The legs were setup a bit wonky so that the ladder part I was walking up was nearly vertical and wedged against the edge of the landing. I had the wife stand on the bottom rung of the shorter leg so I wouldn't fall back as I climbed up.

I put a long-life LED bulb in the fixture and then we sold the house.

 

[FabriGator]

I would think a Little-giant ladder would be your friend in this situation. The ability to adjust the legs so that one side can be shorter and on the stairs and the other side longer and on the landing.

I have a Cosco adjustable ladder and (while it's awfully heavy) have used it many times for oddball situations like this. It's not nearly large enough for this job, though. I'd guess the lamp base on the ceiling is 15 feet above the center landing, and it's a tossup as to whether the up-stairs or the down-stairs would let you get closest to the fixture right in the center of the stairwell 'box.'

I'm not going to buy a multi-$100 ladder for one job, especially as my days of teetering on ladders etc. are past (as much by judgment as anything else). Could rent one, but it's still a hell of a climb up there to balance, work overhead and then have to manage a fairly heavy (steel bar stock and opal glass) fixture.

Really, overall, I have the experience and the experience to do a job like this and have done many in my reno career... but the actual execution, without a huge amount of hassle and no little risk, has kept me from it for almost five years now. Glad to see that I wasn't missing anything; it really IS a PITA job for someone younger, agile-r, better equipped... and hopefully not too expensive.

But oh, yeah, I am putting in the best bulbs money can buy!

 

[niget2002]

I probably wouldn't buy a ladder just for this situation either. I was lucky enough to borrow one from a neighbor.

I would dismantle the light as much in place and bring it down in pieces. There's a reason why most ceiling fans are installed piece by piece from the ceiling and not carried up pre-built.

Sounds like you have your answer then... Hire it out

 

[jwilson645]

Okay, it's not in my garage, but I have an entry stairwell that 40 years of experience can't tell me how to paint.

It's an up-down entry, small entry landing with seven stairs down and seven stairs up. On the down side is a wall that runs to a slightly vaulted ceiling, so it's probably 15 feet up from the landing. There are iron railings around the up side.

All I need to do is get up to the wall to paint it and cut the ceiling line, and (the hard part) get to a hanging ceiling lamp to take it down, do some cleaning and refurb, and put it back. And I can't for the life of me figure out how to get up there. I have an adjustable ladder, but it's not big enough, and there's nowhere to set it on the various surfaces. I guess a scaffold flat could go across the railings, but that still leaves even a taller guy than me a couple of feet short of reaching either the upper wall corner or the lamp base.

How in the PRELL do you reach interior surfaces and fixtures like this? The only thing I can think of is way too much scaffolding...

I am facing this same situation so I'm definitely keeping a watch on this one.

 

[Innovate1]

Build a couple stub "walls" out of 2 x 4 to bring the stairs of the upper section up to the height of the upper floor, brace between them with diagonal braces so they don't fall over, lay some 2 x 4s on top with some plywood and then a small step ladder on that will get you right to the light. Multiple ways to do this with a little creative framing.

 

[FabriGator]

I would dismantle the light as much in place and bring it down in pieces. There's a reason why most ceiling fans are installed piece by piece from the ceiling and not carried up pre-built.

Not really possible with this one. I might be able to remove the heavy glass undershade, but that's about it. It would be nice if it had a "disconnect" mount up at the ceiling like fans and some lamps, but this is a fingers-and-screwdriver mount.

Sounds like you have your answer then... Hire it out

Yep. It's just past my flexibility and danger-seeking level. But it's so little work...

I am facing this same situation so I'm definitely keeping a watch on this one.

Hope you can use all the ladder/scaffolding suggestions better than I can. I've considered most of them over the years, but that fixture couldn't be more inaccessible without the really extreme solutions.

Multiple ways to do this with a little creative framing.

Oh, sure, but I don't want to spend two days of construction, which would block use of the front door from beam one, to do literally 20-30 minutes of actual work.

A rare case where tagging it SEP* is the right solution.

*Somebody Else's Problem

 

[Innovate1]

Not really possible with this one. I might be able to remove the heavy glass undershade, but that's about it. It would be nice if it had a "disconnect" mount up at the ceiling like fans and some lamps, but this is a fingers-and-screwdriver mount.



Yep. It's just past my flexibility and danger-seeking level. But it's so little work...



Hope you can use all the ladder/scaffolding suggestions better than I can. I've considered most of them over the years, but that fixture couldn't be more inaccessible without the really extreme solutions.



Oh, sure, but I don't want to spend two days of construction, which would block use of the front door from beam one, to do literally 20-30 minutes of actual work.

You could always install a light lift.
https://aladdinlightlift.com/chandelier-lifts/

Hardly two days work to make a work platform. I always try to have a few 2 x 4s and plywood on hand and it would be about an hour to put up something.

 

[FabriGator]

You could always install a light lift.

I grew up, more or less, in a theatre palace that had huge art-deco lamps (20-foot flying saucers). I loved watching them descend from the ceiling for maintenance. I think there actually are pull-down models for commercial and residential, just for this kind of thing. Maybe I will look into that to prevent a redux of this problem.

Hardly two days work to make a work platform. I always try to have a few 2 x 4s and plywood on hand and it would be about an hour to put up something.

There was a day. I don't keep that much stock around any more, I am now... er... plus size, so 2x4s and half-inch really aren't enough any more, and I swore off teetering on ladders and things a while ago. And, as noted, it would completely block the front (only useful) entry from start to finish.

I regret to say I am just not as grab-the-hammer about these things as I used to be. Maybe on the next house.

 

[jar944]

Baker Scaffolding.

 

[Innovate1]

There was a day. I don't keep that much stock around any more, I am now... er... plus size, so 2x4s and half-inch really aren't enough any more, and I swore off teetering on ladders and things a while ago. And, as noted, it would completely block the front (only useful) entry from start to finish.

I regret to say I am just not as grab-the-hammer about these things as I used to be. Maybe on the next house.

Fair enough. There will come a day when I don't want to or won't be able to do these things anymore too. I am actually creeping up on that so some things are getting harder to do. Don't have kids either so getting them to do it isn't an option. I have to rely on friends for help or hire the bigger jobs out.

 

[scooby074]

Baker scaffold on the landing by the door. Then a platform over to the main floor. Not a super complicated setup TBH. Its what Baker was made for

 

[nadogail]

Maybe it’s time to accept your individual limitations and call in a professional. I used to be that guy who did jobs for older people; now I am one.

Without the people I call, a lot of things would not be done.

 

[Zeke]

Not really possible with this one. I might be able to remove the heavy glass undershade, but that's about it. It would be nice if it had a "disconnect" mount up at the ceiling like fans and some lamps, but this is a fingers-and-screwdriver mount.



Yep. It's just past my flexibility and danger-seeking level. But it's so little work...



Hope you can use all the ladder/scaffolding suggestions better than I can. I've considered most of them over the years, but that fixture couldn't be more inaccessible without the really extreme solutions.



Oh, sure, but I don't want to spend two days of construction, which would block use of the front door from beam one, to do literally 20-30 minutes of actual work.

A rare case where tagging it SEP* is the right solution.

*Somebody Else's Problem

I want to see a guy paint a hallway start to finish in 30 minutes. And I was a painting contractor.

In those situations we used maybe 3 ladders (different types) and some planks. 15 minute set up.

 

[rburke65]

On FB video, I recently saw a guy build a temporary platform(s) ….joists and plywood….braced and fitted, no wall damage.

 

[FabriGator]

I want to see a guy paint a hallway start to finish in 30 minutes. And I was a painting contractor.

The walls are mostly painted. It's ~20 feet of cutting and probably more time setting up a pan and roller than actually painting the top third of the two walls.

Were it not for the vertical logistics, I could — and have — finished such work in 30-40 minutes including finding a new roller cover.

If this were some huge remodeling effort or such, I'd never even have asked about methods. I've done extensive prep work for jobs like siding replacement and so forth. But this one of those things where setup, hassle and teardown are on the order of 10X the actual work time.

 

[firebirdparts]

You can build a little platform on the stairs real easy, but if you build it say 4 feet wide, and make the top level with some tread, you still wouldn't have near enough room to use a 10 foot or 12 foot stepladder. So you need to look at your stepladder and figure out just how big of a flat place you need and how high in the house you would want to place it to get the height you need.

Building the flat place, with 2 legs that reach to down to some stair, is pretty easy, and once you build it, it'll fit any place on the stairs.

From that platform, if you need to go sideways with an ordinary ladder, you can, but you can't mar the wall with it. That makes it a little bit tricky.

 

[Bucko]

The walls are mostly painted. It's ~20 feet of cutting and probably more time setting up a pan and roller than actually painting the top third of the two walls.

Were it not for the vertical logistics, I could — and have — finished such work in 30-40 minutes including finding a new roller cover.

If this were some huge remodeling effort or such, I'd never even have asked about methods. I've done extensive prep work for jobs like siding replacement and so forth. But this one of those things where setup, hassle and teardown are on the order of 10X the actual work time.

They always say the majority of painting is prep and cleanup.
I'm in the end stages of painting the exteriorof my shop and the way some of the roof lines cut back into each other and the steep pitch make for 20 minutes of setup and 5 minutes of actual painting. Then the ladders gotta be drug to the next spot and repeat.

 

[signcrafter]

As mentioned bakers scaffolding. I have 4 of them and can stack them and they come in super handy for situations like this. Can probably rent them too. Takes a few minutes to set up bit once it's set up it makes short work of your jobs. Should be able to set it up so you are working right next to the light.

 

[Dig Doug]

rent that Baker scaffolding 2 set ups! That someone posted earlier

set it up up on the landing then run the expandable planking from a ladder on the 2nd floor.
I’ve done it a bunch of times safe and easy just Don’t Fall ! The sudden Stop will kill ya!

a one time deal to buy can get expensive but you can rent everything from a scaffolding company or a rental shop

also get some expansion planking