How to paint stair hallways – no boards required
Painting a hallway seems like a really big project to complete. The reason for this is that hallways are basically the biggest room in your house. There are also multiple doors and door frames spindles and handrails. Also the amount of walls and the height of painting the hallway walls in this area
In large hallways there are many difficult areas that need to be painted, reaching high ceilings and high stairway walls.
When I speak to customers this is one of the main reasons why they use my services to paint these hard-to-reach areas and complete whole staircases. Many of them are also scared of heights so you need to have a head for heights to paint the stairwell.
Traditional method of painting stair hallways
One of the most off-putting things about painting stair hallways is the large stair wall that you need to paint. You usually need more than just a pair of steps or a single ladder.
The traditional way of painting a stair hallway wall all is to use a ladder at the longest length, a pair of steps on the shortest length and a scaffold board or plank going in between.
Forgive the rudimentary drawing, but this is a simple example of painting a hallway
This traditional method can seem dicey even at the best of times. It is hard to climb onto this traditional type of scaffolding and it can feel like you’re taking your life into your own hands.
I will show you a much safer way of painting this large, stair hallway wall, with only a single ladder.
What is a combination ladder?
A combination ladder is basically a ladder that can fold into many combinations, hence the name. Parts can be folded down or folded into the ladder itself to provide longer and shorter extensions.
Combination ladders are usually sold at trade only type shops. Some good DIY shops will sell these types of ladders, but you are better to either buy them online or from a trade shop.
I have two types of combination ladder I have the 3 tread type and 4 tread type. The 4 tread type are quite tall and I rarely use these unless the standard height in a room is 10 foot or higher. The 3 tread type are used every day and are ideal for painting a hallway.
Using a combination ladder correctly in the steps below I will show you how to paint the highest wall in your house with only this ladder.
Method for painting stair hallways.
I personally find the method below is a much safer process and you need less boards and ladders. It is also a quicker method and you can continue you to use the combination ladder on the rest of the decorating project.
The reason for this is that by using multiple boards and Ladders it can feel quite risky and less secure when you are using it.
You will need the following tools:
- Combination ladder
- Paint brush
- Kettle (paint can for holding paint)
- Scuttle or roller tray (scuttle is basically a large square bucket)
- Extension Pole
- Roller for painting wall.
The 1st step is to extend your ladder fully into a traditional ladder. The bottom will rest on the stairs and the top against your head wall (the wall you see walking down the stairs).
You need your paintbrush and kettle for cutting into the ceiling and corners of the wall. Cutting in as far as you can reach without overreaching.
The 2nd step is to fold down the top part of the ladder so it forms a 90-degree angle. You need to move the base of the ladder further up the stairs.
Make sure the angle of the ladder part you climb up isn’t too steep. Moving it up the stairs will allow this.
This pushes you away from the headwall in order to cut in, along the ceiling line. You can now climb up and cut in the ceiling line, making sure you do not overreach.
The 3rd step is to fold the ladder down to a short A frame. one side is kept long the other is shortened down see image below. Make sure you have the rubber feet on the stairs.
You will now need to stand on the top of this A frame. This now allows you to carry on cutting in the ceiling line.
Once all your cutting in is done, you can proceed to carry on painting the hallway walls with the roller and scuttle. Use the extension pole I mentioned earlier with your roller and scuttle to reach those high areas.
If you struggle with this or don’t have the head for heights and live in the London area, you can contact me through the website