How to Paint Stairway Walls

Painting the walls going up a stairway is a little more work than painting any other wall. You need to take more care because some parts can be very hard to reach. But with the right tools you can get this project done in a couple of hours.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Paint brushes
• Paint rollers
• Paint tray
• Painters tape
• Extension pole
• Folding ladder
• Rags

1. Prepare your walls by cleaning and dusting them. If there are greasy hand prints, you may need to use a household cleaner to get them off. If you cannot remove the hand prints, you may want to prime the wall with a product like Kills.

2. Tape off any areas you do not want to get paint on. Start with the stair trim and tape around windows if you have any on your stairway. Be very careful covering your steps that you don't make them too slippery to have the ladder standing on.

3. Cut in the paint at the top or bottom of the stairway with a brush. Start with the bottom of the wall and then set up your ladder to reach the top. Folding ladders that fold at 1 foot intervals work very well on stairs. If you have walls on both sides of the stairs, do them at the same time. This will save you from moving and setting up the ladder twice.

4. Move the ladder up to the next area and roll the walls where you just cut in. This will allow you to work the roller into the wet paint that you just cut in and prevent you from getting lines.

5. Keep moving up or down the stairway until you have it completely painted.

Tips & Warnings

• If the top of the wall is very high, you may want to work on a scaffold. You can set it up on the ladder.

Resources

• Little Giant Ladders and Accessories