Going through the painful process of painting our windows at the moment. Another great fun job that’s limiting the amount of riding I can do during this great weather!

Anyway, how do people go about painting their upstairs windows other than balancing precariously on a long ladder? Half of the house has old sash windows which we took out to paint. The newer half though has some big casement windows, any useful tips from anyone?

Thanks in advance

Zone out and get on with it. get an old radio so you have music to distract you.

Don’t be tempted to put earphones in – they can cause problems with balance and you don’t need that 25ft up a ladder…

Hire a scaffold tower, probably around £100 for a one week hire, just make sure you get all the upstairs jobs done in the one week and it looks like good value.

Hire a scaffold tower, probably around £100 for a one week hire, just make sure you get all the upstairs jobs done in the one week and it looks like good value.

Thanks, a movable aluminium tower is something we’d discussed but it would only work for one of the windows due to the layout of the garden. I’d need a full blown scaffolding install for the back of the house. Or a ladder.

Now you’re talking! 😀

Ladder.
Don’t over stretch trying to do it in one shift.
If your windows are tall and you’re struggling to reach the tops, a ladder stay, which pushes you away from the wall helps. Put it a couple of rungs down so you have the top of the ladder to hold..if that makes sense?

I’ve got this job coming up too. Will be using a ladder. The only thing I’m worried about is sanding the old paint. As in; the sanding motion rocking the ladder.

Put double glazing in.

Ladder with a wide base.

Take the time to get level and secure.

A spotter on the ground without headphones in.

I have gutters to do. Joy.

Not an expert but when working at any height, a ladder stand-off makes things feel much more stable and secure, also gives more usable (safe) reach from a given position.

I’m trying to work out how to fit a foam cannister on a long pole so I can fill gaps high up without a ladder. You can buy similar for wasp sprays but the cannister is different (other way up for starters).

I’d be wary of doing that.

Its hard enough to gauge when you’ve put enough in anyway and unless you like foam all over your wall you’ll need to go up to clean it before is rock hard and stickier than a sticky poo dried onto a woolly blanket

This is a special case, they are not small cracks but some sort of ventilation tubes that predate the current usage and the previous owner has previously blocked the accessible ones by stuffing in bubble wrap. I think there’s a good chance of stopping the massive draught without leaving a visible mess if I can manage to get the cannister tube well inside the (very deep) holes. I’ll go up a ladder for some of them but there’s a first floor roof jutting out which blocks access to one area.

Um…sorry for the digression.

my dad’s mate (outdoor pursuits instructor type) did the following:
– tie rope to car
– throw rope over house
– prussik up rope
– perform DIY while imagining that the missus is hugely impressed by your ingenuity and daring

Alternately

never say we don’t try to help!

100 Helium balloons and a garden chair?

😀 thanks some more great ideas! We’ve got a 10ft trampoline at the back of the garden, perhaps I’ll drag that over 😀

Put double glazing in.

This. UPVC and get your life back.

Can’t afford new windows at the moment, plus Mrs Wilko is dead set on keeping the originals.

plus Mrs Wilko is dead set on keeping the originals.

Tell her where the brushes are kept then.

😀 to be fair she’s done well over half the work so far, she’s really keen

I’ve just had the “pleasure” of this exact task. I borrowed a couple of roof ladders from a friendly builder / slater. He also had a couple of sturdy brackets that fitted into the ladders across which a couple of scaffolding planks could be placed.

Spent 3 days balancing on the ladders and planks to get the job done but the above kit worked a treat.