The moment you step onto the ladder, you put your life at risk. So unless you want the ladder to collapse, pay attention to the limit weight capacity of each ladder to see how much weight it can withstand. Also take into consideration the anti-slip feature of the ladder, and the material it is made of.

As you can see, choosing the right ladder might not be an easy job. In this article, we will try to deliver to you the careful review of a list of the ladders that we consider the best of its types. We hope the information we provide will help you choose the best paint ladder that fits your own needs. As people often search for information on this subject, it would be a good idea to make a podcast discussing it more thoroughly. If you want to have a guaranteed high success rate for your content, you can buy soundcloud plays and we will take care of the rest.

Best Step Ladder (January 2020): Top 6 Reviews For Painter

Why are these ladders included?

We all need a ladder to paint, stain or varnish. However, depending on the situation, we might need different types of the ladder. That is mainly the reason why we include all types of ladders in this article. We pick out the best ladder of its type to include in this list. We divide the product into two categories, the Low-To-Average Access and the High Access.

Low-To-Average Access

Normal Step ladder

A normal stepladder is usually A-frame shape. The rungs are a little bit narrower than an office step stool. The ladder is heavy and has a large weight capacity and high reach. This is recommended for the pros rather than the amateurs. For a stepladder, you can take a look at Little Giant Flip-N-Lite.

Office step stool

Perfect for low access work, an office step stool can provide a reach below 6 feet, and it’s easy to carry or store; it’s often designed with wide steps and can be leaned against for extra safety. The ladder is suitable for older people or people with Acrophobia (fear of height). In this section, we introduce to you two office step stools, namely Rubbermaid RM-3W and Cosco Three Step.

Telescopic extension ladder

If you want a ladder with higher reach but can be stored easily like an office step stool, you can take a look at a telescopic extension ladder. It works like a telescope with each level stacks up to the next one. Because it collapses on itself, the ladder is pretty handy when closed down; it can be stored in a small closet.

High Access

Extension ladder

An extension ladder is for additional reach that a normal ladder cannot touch. It’s heavy and has a weight capacity of 300 pounds, suitable for painting the vaulted ceiling or exterior painting. Due to the height, this type of ladder usually provides extra safety than the normal one and is very sturdy and durable. We include Little Giant Flip-N-Lite for the extension ladder section.

Multiple-use ladder

It’s simply a combination of A-frame stepladder, staircase ladder, 90-degree ladder and extension ladder. The staircase ladder will help you stand on an unusual place like on the stairs, over obstacles and even ground. The 90-degree ladder is to stay closer to your work. The uses of A-frame ladder and extension ladder are already explained. We include Little Giant Velocity Multiple-use Ladder as a representative of this type.

Little Giant 22-Foot Velocity (Best Multi Ladder)

Founded in 1970, Little Giant is specialized in producing professional-grade, multi-use ladder systems. The brand name is well known for its strong, safe and versatile products.

PROS

Versatile – The products can be used as 4 types of ladders, namely as an extension ladder, A-frame ladder, staircase ladder, 90-degree ladder. Thanks to such versatility, you can use this ladder to accomplish a variety of tasks with only one ladder.

Although there are 5 types of ladders as advertised, you have to purchase additional parts to form a trestle-and-plank scaffolding system. As a result, we only mention 4 types in this review article.

Stability & durability – To make sure that the ladder is sturdy, this ladder is covered by aluminum and is constructed with a dual-pin hinge; this construction maximizes the extension stability, securing maximum reach of 19 feet, and giving access to vaulted ceilings, second story roof lines, gutters, and other hard-to-reach areas.

Creative Rock Lock System – The process of adjusting the ladder is easy due to this system. It simply pushes the lock for release, creating a way for adjustment of the ladder. Afterward, it taps the lock to relock it.

Professional-grade ladder system – Little Giant offers convertible designs which include 33 unique configurations available for use.

Safety and Comfort – It has wide rungs to protect the worker from foot pain; the rungs also help prevent fatigue. This feature will increase stability when climbing.

For additional safety, deep treads are included to increase traction while climbing. There are also wide-flared legs to keep the ladder from sliding off the ground.

Tip & Glide Wheels – The ladder is a little bit heavy to carry around, therefore, it has wheels on the legs for easy transportation.

CONS

Too heavy – As mentioned before, it is heavy. It weighs 39 pounds which is heavy for a petite person to carry it around.

Expensive – The price is higher than its comparables. However, you get a 4-in-1 ladder so that should compensate for the initial cost.

Questionable customer service – The customer support takes forever to reply to the customer, therefore, the quality of the warranty might be suspicious.

Lack of ladder brackets – It lacks additional accessories, without those accessories it cannot perform as a trestle-and-plank scaffolding system.

Narrow rungs – Although the rungs are wide compared to its peers, they are still too narrow for a big person to step onto them.

My Recommendation

It’s a good ladder system, and the 4-in-1 design is pretty innovative. The ladder is safe and sturdy. On top of that, the locking mechanism is easy to operate. Even though the ladder is heavy, the manufacturer still manages to help the workers carry it around by including the wheels.

Overall, it’s a good product. The price might be high but it could be equivalent to the cost of purchasing 4 different ladders at the same time. Not to mention that the separate ladder might be low-quality, while you can trust the quality of the Little Giant name.

In general, this product can serve multiple purposes and can also reach high places. Unless you want a trestle-and-plank scaffolding system, you should buy it. In this article, we rate this product as the best one in our list, based on the price and the performance.

Things We Liked

• Versatile
• Stability & durability
• Creative Rock Lock System
• Professional-grade ladder system
• Safety and Comfort
• Tip & Glide Wheels

Things We Didn’t Like

• Too heavy
• Expensive
• Questionable customer service
• Lack of ladder brackets
• Narrow rungs

Rubbermaid RM-3W Folding 3-Step (Best Lightweight Ladder)

Existing for nearly 80 years, Rubbermaid represents innovative, high-quality products that help simplify life. The Rubbermaid RM-3W (best Lightweight ladder) is a suitable tool if your ceilings or walls are not very high.

PROS

Non-marring feet – This feature is important if you own a tile floor house. Since other brands don’t have this type of feet and end up leaving scratches on the floor. The non-marring feet are designed to solve such a problem.

Portable – The product is lightweight plus it folds up slim and tidy, therefore, carrying it around should not be a problem.

Wide rungs – The plastic steps are large and balanced, providing a comfortable and safe feeling when using it. Foot pain can also be prevented thanks to these wide rungs.

Conveniently Compact – When the step stool is folded up, we measure it to widest point and get the dimensions of 44.5 x 20.75 x 2 inches. With the size this small, it won’t take up a lot of space or room. It’s folded easily for storage, you can put it in the corner or closet.

Durability – Although the steps are plastic made, the other parts of the ladder are made of steel and have a silver finish. Such material will make the ladder sturdy and durable, allowing it to be used for a long time.

CONS

Can’t use it for height work – The ladder is only 8.9 feet, therefore, the reach is not that high. In addition, its weight capacity is only 200 pounds, so be careful of the weight when you are on the top step.

No replacement – The manufacturer does not sell the replacement parts, Tricam is the distributor of those parts but it only sells the feet. If your ladder gets broken, you might need to buy the entire new one.

My Recommendation

The product is recommended for low height work. We recommend this product for the elders since it is easy to carry and has wide rungs. Even though there is no replacement, the price of the product is cheap; the product is also durable so it can be used for 3 years or more.

If your ceilings or walls are not very high, and you don’t want to pay extra cash for the expensive one, then we highly recommend this product for you.

This is the best ladder for home use?