Buy a 6-foot fiberglass stepladder with a Type II, 225-pound duty rating if indoor painting and fixture work have you standing on furniture. Wait if the job is at counter height. The rating is a maximum for you plus the load, and the top cap is not a step.
Ceilings are often a pole problem before they are a taller-ladder problem: roller frame. Wet joints above a tub: caulk and silicone.
What to stand on
| Job | Use | Do not use | Shop |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8-foot ceiling, indoor | 6-ft fiberglass, Type II if you fit the rating | A dining chair | View 8-foot ceiling, indoor (affiliate) |
| Near a ceiling box or old wiring | Non-conductive fiberglass rails | An aluminum ladder as a shortcut | View Near a ceiling box or old wiring (affiliate) |
| Counter-height backsplash | The floor | A ladder jammed against the cabinets | — |
Affiliate Link • Earns Commission
The number on the rail
Duty rating is not a suggestion. Type II at 225 pounds means the person and the tools together. A 200-pound painter with a full gallon is already over some “household” step stools that never publish a real rating. Read the label for the highest step you are allowed to stand on. Leaning past the side rails is how the ladder walks.
Fiberglass rails matter when the work is a light fixture, a smoke alarm, or a ceiling box. Aluminum is fine far from wiring and miserable as a conductor. Open the spreaders fully, keep all four feet on the floor, and do not set it on a drop cloth that can slide.
The ladder
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