How do I Paint this Stairwell?

I have a one story ranch house. The house has a half-finished basement. There is a set of stairs that lead down into the basement. I want to paint the basement. I don't know how I can paint the walls and ceiling surrounding the stairs. The ceilings on the first floor are 8 feet tall, and there is the additional space created by the stairs to deal with as well. I don't think a roller with an extension will reach all of the wall and ceiling areas. Also, I am concerned about only having a thin stair to rely on while I painting these areas.


I attached a rough drawing of the stairwell. I am not sure how sturdy the platform at the end of stairwell is. It is covered with paneling that I am planning to paint over. I am not sure if it is sturdy enough to support a makeshift scaffolding.


It kind of makes me anxious to use a scaffold in this area.


Can you give me an idea about how to safely paint a stairway space. Thank you.

 

I'm not sure I understand the drawing could you post a pic or two?

Depending on the design of the stairwell, I use one of 2 methods. Setting a stepladder upside down on the tread works - or you could set a block or something on the next tread down to set the stepladder feet on. The step ladder won't be open, just closed up and leaned against the wall. The other method is to use a short extension ladder and set the bottom on a tread and the top on the wall above the bottom portion of the stairwell [not all staircases are constructed in this manner]

Another option would be to use a brush holder and roller pole. The brush holder clamps onto the brush handle and then threads onto the roller pole. Most any paint store will have them, there are several different brands but they all work the same. The better ones just last longer

here is one example - Mr. Longarm Paint Brush and Tool Holder 0650 at The Home Depot

 

Here are the photos that you asked for. I hope this helps to show you the set up of the stairwell.

 

I'd set a short extension ladder on one of the steps [upper portion of stairs] with the top extending to the wall above the little 'shelf' That should allow you to get most of the brush work done. A brush holder along with a short adjustable [extending] roller will also help. The ladder will feel a little awkward because of the angle but it won't go anywhere with the feet up against the step's riser.

For paint to adhere well to the paneling you need to apply a solvent based primer first [latex finish paint will adhere fine to the primer] If you intend to paint the wrought iron railing, it will need both a solvent based primer and finish. It would be fine to use the same primer on both the paneling and railing. Rustoleum or similar would be fine for the wrought iron's top coat.

 

Thanks for the good advice.

 

A roller with handle attachments that will allow you to paint as far up, or down as you need. That or a sprayer with a long wand.

 

It's rarely a good idea to spray in an occupied home - too hard to control/contain the overspray

 

If I don't set up scaffolding I use a paint roller and an adjustable length handle. One stairwell I did the handle had to be extended and retracted to bring the roller down for reloading. It was a bit of a pita but in the small space it looked like it was quicker than trying to do scaffolding.