Painting Ladders – Some Tips For Buying Them

Painting ladders can come to you almost free as a painter. My dad bought me a 20-ft extension ladder when I first started painting. I found a 16-footer for only $15 at a garage sale. I call it my "sweet 16". I have a nice pair of rubber ladder mitts on it. I use it quite a bit for interior projects like stairwells and small exterior work.


Extension ladder - two different customers gave me 24-foot ladders plus an older guy from church gave me a brand new wooden 24-footer that he never used but a few times. I have borrowed other ladders and even rented a 32-foot aluminum extension ladder before.

Ladder safety is important. A good quality extension ladder will set you back $400. If you are a little guy like me you can get away with a cheaper ladder with a 250-lb. maximum load rating.

A big husky guy hauling loads of shingles up to a roof top will be better off spending more money for a better grade extension ladder with a higher load rating. Probably a load rating of 350 lbs.

Step ladder – my favorite step ladder is my wooden 5-foot step ladder. I also have a cheap aluminum 4-foot and a 6 –footer but my wooden 5-footer is as comfortable as can be and works great for cutting in 8-foot ceilings.

Fiberglass ladders – I don’t like these. They are heavy compared to an aluminum ladder. You just have to be careful around electrical stuff. Some guys swear by them. Not only are they heavy they are expensive as well. It just depends on what trade you are in.

Heavy duty ladders – these monsters really need two guys to handle them. So if you have a painting partner you have it made. Several ladders come to mind when I think heavy duty. A wooden 32-foot extension ladder a customer let me use on his two-story house and the aluminum 32-footer I rented once.