Guide to Ladders for Painting Contractors

Guide to Ladders for Painting Contractors

Painting work is a standing-still job, not a climbing job, so the setup matters more than the ladder. A crew that has to come down every ten minutes loses an hour a day. The DFW painting contractors we supply at Dallas Ladder in Rowlett run a standard kit: an extension ladder for height, ladder jacks and planks for runs, and a small rolling scaffold for interiors.

Exterior Walls and Long Runs

For a two-story exterior, start with a fiberglass extension ladder set at the correct angle and tied off at the top. Fiberglass is worth the extra cost on painting work because it does not conduct, it does not flex in Texas heat the way aluminum does, and it holds paint-dripped hands better than bare metal rungs.

For long horizontal runs, ladder jacks and planks beat moving a ladder every eight feet. Our Werner aluminum ladder jacks at $180 a pair with a 7 ft x 19 in all-aluminum plank at $129 give a crew a walkable platform that moves along the wall with the ladder. Aluminum planks stay straighter than wood and do not absorb paint or water.

Interior Work

Inside, a Baker/Perry scaffold unit at $229 is the right tool for ceilings, with the guard rail assembly at $147.70 for anything above standing height. It rolls between rooms, it fits through a 30 inch door, and it puts the painter at ceiling height without a ladder dance.

For trim, doors, and cut-in work, a fiberglass stepladder and a step stool cover the whole day. Keep the step stool on the cart: it is the piece that stops painters from standing on a bucket or the top step of a stepladder.

What to Keep on the Truck

A workable painting kit for one crew is one extension ladder, one stepladder, one step stool, a pair of ladder jacks with two planks, and a Baker scaffold for interiors. Add extension ladder covers at $15.99 so paint, caulk, and job-site grit stay off the rails and the ladder stays clean enough to handle without gloves.

Everything is on the floor at 5030 Dexham Rd. Ste. 103 in Rowlett, TX. Call 972-331-1090 with the wall heights and we will put the kit together for you.