Painting the outside of a house

[<thirsty]

I am looking to paint the outside of my 1960's semi detached two story (ground and first floors) house, including the suffits under the gutters. Problem is I don't like heights, tried a set of he neighbours ladders and the wobbled so much I got about 6 steps up before freezing in fear (the steps just appeared to bounce too much) could these have been cheap steps? I did not used to have a problem with heights, and don't remember steps wobbling so much.

Are the any extendable tools which I can use like an extendable paint pole to not only allow me to paint the walls, but sand down the soffits and paint them as well as clean the walls prior to painting?

Alternatively what are the views of scaffolding? I.e. ease of use, and cost (I mean to buy not rent) ?

Thanks

[Simon]

Regarding bouncy ladders, I think there are 3 different classes of ladders, although I can't remember the names. As you go up through the classes, the ladders become heavier, stronger, more durable, less bouncy, and (a bit) more expensive. I've got a 2-section ladder from the lightest class, and it's alarmingly bouncy, but very easy to lift into position.

You can also buy ladder stand-offs to fit to the top of the ladder, which make the whole thing a bit more stable.

I'm also considering painting the outside of my house, and I'm contemplating the scaffolding tower sold by Screwfix, which seems to provide a platform at

6 metres for about £1500 - probably cheaper than paying someone to paint my house, and I get to keep the tower.

[The3rd Earl Of Derby]

You need the requirement of a cherry picker,hired at an 80GBP a day by me,what price by you I don't know?

Or its just a case of you being uneasy at heights over 12' :-)

[The3rd Earl Of Derby]

Dearest one I can see at 6.1 m is?...

[Stuart Noble]

6 steps isn't very far is it? :-) Not being rude, but chances are you'll also freeze on the ladder to get up to the scaffolding or tower). My neighbour had one delivered this morning and all he's done so far is grit his teeth and stare at it. Could have done the job off a ladder in the time it takes to erect the bloody thing. Anyway, all ladders bounce, and all towers move so, unless you feel the need to overcome your fears for personal reasons (which isn't a bad idea if you're young) I'd forget the preparation and soffits and use a extendable roller. It means you'll coat the bottom edge of the soffit but what the hell. IME everyone has their threshold for heights. After 30 odd years I still shit myself when I'm higher than I've been before, but then I come down a rung and feel as right as rain. All in the mind. Bear in mind also that there are really 3 thresholds. How high can I go, how high can I go and use one hand, and how high can I go and use both hands. Having your nose pressed against something doesn't mean you can paint it.

[Simon]

That's the one. By the time you've bought all the bits it would cost about £1600. OTOH, if it takes ages to erect and move, a ladder would be more convenient, but the gable ends of my house are about 7 metres above the ground, which seems a bit high for a ladder.

[The3rd Earl Of Derby]

Reminds me of some bloke on a paint job and he was 15ft up with me holding the ladder...he froze and shouted...I'm stuck he shouted...what do you mean your stuck...I'm f'cking stuck you silly b'stard...in the end I had to call the fire brigade out. :-)

[nightjar]

Almost certainly that was a domestic grade ladder and it is also unlikely to have been maintained or tested since bought. Industrial Class 1 ladders don't bounce, even under my weight, which is more than the safe working load of a domestic grade ladder. If you hire a ladder from a tool shop, it ought to be Class 1. However, simply for the ease of working, I would prefer to have a house scaffolded if I were planning to do extensive work on the outside. There is a very limited area you can reach from a ladder and you need to keep moving it to do the next bit. Working from a scaffold is both easier and safer.

Colin Bignell

[Stuart Noble]

Piece of cake if you've got the space to stand the ladder at a decent angle. My gable's higher than that and I have a fence 6ft away, which makes it slightly steeper than I'd like. If you can get up with a small brush (albeit on a stick) and do the edges, you can roller the rest. A 3 x 10 ft lightweight ladder is easy for one person to move about and push up, but hire ladders are usually heavier

[Mungo]

And what would the ballpark figure be for such a hire (I know its a vague question)? Reason I ask: we have a long dormer window whose wood needs painted and a ladder would just be bl**dy inconvenient. At a guess the dormer window length is about six metres or so. So for (say) one weeks hire of scaffold, what rough price would it cost to get some scaffolders in and let them have the hassle? And/or is there any guidance or things I should look out for - for example, if the week I get the scaffold for changes so that it p*sses with rain (and hence I cannot paint) is there anything I ought to ask up front to extend the hire?

Thanks in advance

Mungo

[Dave Fawthrop]

|> Are the any extendable tools which I can use like an extendable paint pole |> to not only allow me to paint the walls, but sand down the soffits and |paint |> them as well as clean the walls prior to painting? |>

|>

|>

|> Alternatively what are the views of scaffolding? I.e. ease of use, and |cost |> (I mean to buy not rent) ? |>

|>

|>

|> Thanks |>

|Regarding bouncy ladders, I think there are 3 different classes of ladders, |although I can't remember the names. As you go up through the classes, the |ladders become heavier, stronger, more durable, less bouncy, and (a bit) |more expensive. I've got a 2-section ladder from the lightest class, and |it's alarmingly bouncy, but very easy to lift into position.

Self preservation won out over my Yorkshire open handedness ;-) My professional three section ladder is not bouncy at all.

[dom]

If you go for an access tower (like SGB Boss) rather than scaffolding - something around =A3100-=A3150/week for a 7m working height tower. Some outfits may have delivery/collection charges on top, if you can't transport it.

Access towers are great if you have flat hardstanding around your house, otherwise it may require partial dismantling to move. Ask the hire service about erecting them safely if you're not sure.

[ARWadsworth]

Personally I find even erecting scaffold tower worse than going up a good strong ladder to do some work.

.

I feel more confident to go higher when certain people foot the ladder. I always use someone strong enough to support the ladder and who has the knowledge to shout up if they think something is wrong with either the ladders footing or my positioning on the ladder and not just stand there like a t**t.

I like that analysis

Adam

[Mike Halmarack]

I never "liked" heights but I spent many years walking around on pitched roofs and standing atop ladders working on guttering , fascias and soffits. Then, after my mid-life crisis (which lasted about 40 years) I found myself getting the shakes when doing ladder work. I even woke up in sweats after dreaming about the ascent. Being the psychological oddity that I am, I took this as a sign that I should do as much ladder climbing as I possibly could. I think I managed to burn out the inconvenient "sensitivity" this way, so I'm OK with going up ladders now.

I have used scaffold towers and they are convenient in their way, but costly and time consuming to assemble. I bought a Wickes triple extension "Trade" ladder to work on my current house. It's of a very solid and heavy construction, so little bounce there. I wouldn't recommend these particular ladders though, I was really annoyed when I found that the flimsy plastic coverings soon broke and fell off the hooks (or brackets) that hold each extension in place at the top of the one beneath, leaving unpleasant aluminium to aluminium sliding contact.

[Stuart Noble]

Couple of hundred quid in the south east. You probably won't have any trouble extending the hire. The problem is usually getting them to take it down until they have another job to take it to. Double handling is a killer for scaffolding firms. The advantage over towers is that they assemble it to give you best access to whatever you're doing. The endless bars and supports on towers can really get in your way

[<me9]

Is it possible to obtain and use your own scaffolding at reasonable rates, or is it subject to something like prat P.

[Chris Bacon]

If you don't really, really have to, if it isn't already painted, and

*especially* if next door isn't painted, then *don't*.

If you get the wobbles, then don't consider doing it.

Not usefully.

If you get a tower, get the one with the biggest area you can, and with stabilisers.

[nightjar]

A few years back, it cost me £400 for a month's hire on scaffolding around a five bedroom detached house, which included bridging a rear lean-to extension. The house was rendered and needed to be painted from top to bottom. I only wanted the scaffolding for a fortnight, but one month was the minimum hire period. The scaffolder explained that, as most of the cost was in putting it up and, to a lesser extent, taking it down again, he would have to charge the same for one week as for one month, so he never bothered with shorter hire periods.

Colin Bignell

[Stuart Noble]

Not something I'd consider. If there aren't regs about it, that's one area I'd say there needs to be

[nightjar]

Erecting scaffolding is a highly skilled job and I would not want to go up on one that has not been erected by an expert.

Colin Bignell