Supplies Needed for Reaching the Ceiling When Painting

Long-Handled Tools

• Paint brushes and buckets of paint are familiar sights during a home renovation. Rollers are now quite commonplace, too. Rollers with extension rods are especially useful for reaching 8- or 10-foot ceilings. Other long-handled tools such as brooms or dusters to sweep off cobwebs, and scrubbers to clean the ceiling before painting, make the work go faster.

Ladders

• Doing a good job of painting the ceiling sometimes requires a ladder. Short stepladders with one or two steps can help in certain situations. Many types of taller ladders are available, which may be more suitable. Find a strong, secure, double-sided stepladder. Many of them have a small foldout or flipout platform near the top, on which you can set smaller items or a paint pan. Combining the extension roller with a ladder will typically allow you to paint the entire ceiling swiftly.

Scaffolding

• For jobs on 14-foot ceilings and higher, you may want to consider renting a railed scaffolding. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommends protection from falls or for any climbing when a painter is 10 feet or higher off the floor. You have probably seen scaffolding in use for exterior paint jobs or on construction sites, but small ones are useful for indoor jobs, too, especially on very large homes with very high or ornate and angular ceilings.

Sprayers

• Many professional painters will sweep into a home, remove or cover all the furniture and turn on the spray paint. Sprayers can indeed be useful for some paint jobs. However, certain precautions must be met, such as wearing goggles and eye protection, as well as using nontoxic materials. Sprayers in combination with a ladder can give satisfying, beautiful results, but investigate the pros and cons and safety requirements before using one.