Step Ladders
 

Our cottage has a vaulted ceiling in the main living area and I want to buy a new step ladder that will allow me to accomplish maintenance projects at the highest point(s). The height at the highest point is approximately 14'. I'm thinking of buying a 10' step ladder but I don't know if a 10' ladder is actually 10' tall or not. Does anyone know whether a 10' ladder is actually 10' high or is it something less than that due to the triangulation of the sides when it is opened up??

I believe there is a label on the ladder that will tell you the height one can reach while standing on the highest safe step. Atrip to HD or Lowes will prove me right or wrong.

google it, this is what i got
 

How tall does your ladder need to be?

Stepladder
• To reach 7 feet: 3-foot ladder
• To reach 8 feet: 4-foot ladder
• To reach 10 feet: 6-foot ladder
• To reach 11 feet: 7-foot ladder
• To reach 12 feet: 8-foot ladder
• To reach 14 feet: 10-foot ladder
• To reach 16 feet: 12-foot ladder
• To reach 18 feet: 14-foot ladder
• To reach 20 feet: 16-foot ladder

10' is the length of the folded ladder laying flat on the ground.

according to home depot you should be able to safely reach to 14'. Hopefully this is based on standing 2 steps from the top.
http://www.homedepot.com/b/Building-...s/N-5yc1vZaq3d

Little Giant
 

One suggestion I will make since your looking to buy a ladder for this is look at the "Little Giant" ladder system. You will certainly get a lot more use out of a Little Giant ladder than a standard 10' step ladder particularly since your on an island.

A good quality (Type 1-A) standard step ladder will run you about $250.00. this is about the same cost as a Little Giant but the Little Giant also transforms into many different useful configurations including a 22' extension ladder.

I have one and it is solid as a rock and extremely well made and way more useful than a standard 10' step! It is about 6lbs heavier at 45 lbs compared to 39 lbs for a standard 10 step.

Just a suggestion and good luck with your project!

Dan

Just an fyi per Dans post from their website:
The $249 classic 22 which weighs 45 lbs shows a maximum extension height of 19 ft.The A-frame height is 9 ft.
They do have classic 26 with a max extension of 23 and A-frame of 11 ft for $299.

:laugh:To reach 7 feet, all I have to do is reach 6 inches over my head. :laugh:

While you may indeed only need a 10' ladder, I would get a 12' ladder, unless there is some other concern... It really stinks when you miss out being able to do something comfortably because you needed to go one more wrung up.

I have had a little giant ladder for nearly 20 years. THE BEST ladder money can buy.

BT

Remind me never to make you mad! :eek: :laugh:

Dan

Haha Dan. You have nothing to worry about, cause the bigger they are, the nicer they are. One thing that hasn't been mentioned is the maximum weight the ladder can hold. It will be printed on a label attached to the ladder.

Our cottage has about an 18' ceiling... I was able to put up a ceiling fan with a 22' little giant (with it in ladder mode). I can't say enough good things about little giant ladders. If you want 1 jack of all trades ladder to keep at your cottage, this is the one. It's also great in step ladder mode for slopping land where you can make one side be longer than the other.

You can get the Werner version that's pretty much the same at HD/Lowes.

I have the Little Giant Xtreme 22' and like it. It is definitely heavy to lug around, but for the occasional project it comes in very handy.

We call the werner version the big giant because it is a little more heavy duty than the little giant. It is extremely well made and I use mine in my carpentry business daily. They are so stable both in an A frame and extension mode it has changed how we approach certain task. The old fiberglass step ladders sit in the shed and barely see the light of day. these are way safer and more versatile. I got mine at Lowes about 10 years ago for $203.-

Saw a show on the little giant about a week ago. Now they have supposedly a better, stronger ladder than before little giant extreme I believe their calling it.

I have a question about the little giant ladders since we are on this topic. At the top of our stairs for the 2nd floor is a light and a fire alarm, and getting a ladder up there to change a bulb or battery is a scary thing because it's uneaven with one end of the ladder sitting down a couple of steps, so you have to "jack it up" with something. Can the little giant configure to something like that?

Yes! It works great on uneven surfaces or stairways!

Dan

Yes, the new ones are better, stronger and much lighter!

I can attest that Jeff is a big softy.

There are 3 versions of the Little Giant.Classic,Velocity,and Revolution.The Velocity is lighter and has easier "rocker lock" adjustment.The Revolution has an option of leveling legs which make it easy to adjust on uneven surfaces.
Check them out here:https://www.littlegiantladder.com/revolution/

Ceiling height at the eaves?
 

I too have a cathedral ceiling. It is 8 feet high at the eaves, so a 10 foot step ladder is too tall. I also have two little giants (different brand I think. From HD but not $200 10+ years ago) Anyway, the adjustable height is great, and for a few bucks more ($75?) I bought an expandable aluminum plank to run between two little giants. My own scaffolding. Or, a unique tent for the grandkids with a big tarp.

This thread started talking about ceiling height, but I would consider outside gable height, which from the ground may be different at either end of the building. If you want your kids to paint the cottage, get them the best.

Check your local HomeDepot, Lowes or similar store. They may rent this equipment and can advise on proper sizing. It may be more expensive in the long run if you need a ladder every year or so to service this area but you won't have to worry about storing it.

Little Giant Attachment
 

Little Giant has a platform you can put on the ladder that allows you a stable place to stand. It is a lot easier than balancing on a rung. I have one and it works well.

For 80-dollars, Wal-Mart sells a 16' aluminum extension ladder with a 225-lb capacity that works super-duper ...... plus their Glidden paint, interior or exterior, in flat-satin-semi-gloss or gloss for about $12-15/qt is very good, super-duper paint, too. Like why spend the big bucks for paint at Aubuchon or Heath's or Sherwin Williams when the custom mixed paint at Wally World definitely hits the spot!

A 20' aluminum extension ladder goes for 100-dollars at the Gilford Wal-Mart ...... your small town, local neighborhood store!

A gallon of Glidden goes for about $24.50 at Wal-Mart.

When painting my super luxurious, magnificent, waterfront, Lake Winnipesaukee mcmansion ...... I always insist on using Glidden paint purchased at Wally World ...... aka Wal-Mart .... like why settle for less!

Little Giant
 

Thanks everyone for your input!! I decided on buying a Little Giant Xtreme model 26 and I'm very excited about it (Yes, I know, I really need to get a life). The downsides are that it is heavy (58 lbs) and is wicked expensive (just over $500) but it does absolutely everything that I want of a ladder ( extension ladder from 13' to 23', step ladder from 6' to 11') plus it has a myriad of adjustments to enable set up on stairs and to use with scaffolding. I purchased the option for the ratcheting leveler legs which will be extremely handy/helpful on the island. I purchased the ladder directly from Little Giant and obtained free shipping plus they have a limited time offer to include their tool workstation and painting platform free of charge. To be honest, I never thought that I'd ever buy anything other than a Werner.

Ok...let's make a comparison of ladders here... the Gilford Wal-Mart sells a Cosco 17' multi-position ladder for 149-dollars, which weighs about 40-lbs, and the sticker on the ladder calls it the world's greatest ladder. It looks and feels like a quality made ladder, too. It is the most expensive ladder at the Gilford Wal-Mart by about 50-dollars.

So, what do I get with your $500+ multi-position, that I do not get with this $149 multi-position?

Ha, I guess the answer would be ..... = ..... ripped off for $350 clams (but I would have 18 lbs more aluminum (@ almost $19.50/lb))!

As usual you paint a distorted comparison.The same comparable LG ladder would be the Classic 17 and would cost $219.

Other than the weight you will like it. Just watch your hands when you are releasing it from an extended position if handling it alone. It can come down like a guillotine.

A nice warning from...
 

an 8 fingered carpenter!!!!!:laugh:

I took a chunk of skin off my hand last year lowering just a regular step ladder. I can imagine what those heavier ladders can do to a hand if they come slamming down. Ouch wouldn't cover it.

Groupon
 

Just advertised the $419 MSRP Little Giant for $199

Got a link? I can't find it.

Not sure where Groupon comes up with that value savings.On LG's website these 2 ladders sell for $230 and $260.Still a savings of $60 which is pretty good.FYI these ladders are the Alta one which have a lower load rating of 250# vs 300 on the others models.Couldnt see if there was shipping charge which would offset some of those savings.

Nice!! Where can I find that? Wonder if that's the newest, "lighter" version?

My new ladder finally arrived today and I spent some quality time playing with it. Seems to be extremely high quality and has unquestionable versatility ....but at 58 lbs it really IS heavy. I hope that I can carry it up from my boat to the cottage (just kidding). I think that I'm going to love it!