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11 Magnolia Lane

Sharing our easy DIYs, decorating, entertaining and more!

How to Easily Paint Ceilings and Stairwells Without Ladders or Scaffolding

November 6, 2019 By Christy 13 Comments

This Post Contains Affiliate Links

483 shares

This post is sponsored by HomeRight. All opinions are my own.

If you’ve been following my progress at Magnolia Cottage, then you know that I’ve done a TON of painting since we moved here in July. Every room has been painted, with the exception of the kitchen and laundry room (and I’m not ruling them out!), plus I’ve painted the steps, the front porch floor, several ceilings, the mailbox, and the porch swing.

How to paint a stairwell without a ladder or scaffolding | 11 Magnolia Lane

I was hoping to avoid painting the stairwell and upstairs hallway because the gray-green color is a very pretty neutral (it’s a custom mix so I don’t have the exact color); however, the original paint color was flat and the patch paint was eggshell. The difference in sheen made every area that had been patched and repainted glaringly obvious, so I knew I was going to have to repaint (I did use the same color, though).

Stairwell before

| Stairwell “before” |

My PaintStick gets a workout; I’ve used it to paint every room and it makes ceilings SO easy (don’t forget to use the spatter shield to protect your floors and your hair). I knew it would be the perfect tool to help me get out over the steps without falling down the steps!

How to paint a stairwell without a ladder or scaffolding | 11 Magnolia Lane

The PaintStick couldn’t be easier to use (learn more here | purchase here). Simply use the filler tube to draw paint directly from the can. When the handle is full, it extends to 54”, which enabled me to reach the wall above the stairs without even needing to lean over the railing.

How to paint a stairwell without a ladder or scaffolding | 11 Magnolia Lane

I was even able to roll from the side to cut in the edges at the ceiling. The whole process was so fast and easy!

How to paint a stairwell without a ladder or scaffolding | 11 Magnolia Lane

Clean up is fast. I toss my roller covers, although you can certainly wash them and reuse them if you want to. Then the fun part: decorating!

How to paint a stairwell without a ladder or scaffolding | 11 Magnolia Lane

I’m using eucalyptus garland this year on the stair railing (find it HERE) and decided it works just as well for Thanksgiving as it does for Christmas, so I hung it up a little early. I think it looks great with the silver-gray on the walls (sources are at the end of the post).

How to paint a stairwell without a ladder or scaffolding | 11 Magnolia Lane

My little vintage sewing cabinet was orange when I bought it, then it spent a few years painted pink (see the orange to pink transformation here). Now it’s white with gold knobs and it holds all of our spare charging cords and cables.

How to paint a stairwell without a ladder or scaffolding | 11 Magnolia Lane

 

How to paint a stairwell without a ladder or scaffolding | 11 Magnolia Lane

I’ll often have a Bible verse or other inspirational quote on the gold-framed chalkboard. It was a painting with a great frame that I snagged at the thrift shop, then I painted over it with chalkboard paint.

How to paint a stairwell without a ladder or scaffolding | 11 Magnolia Lane

The gold wall mirror is where I do a final check before I go downstairs to face the day.

How to paint a stairwell without a ladder or scaffolding | 11 Magnolia Lane

I also printed some 16 x 20 photos from our last family photo session and hung them over the stairs; honestly, that was harder than painting because I had to try to get them level while leaning out over the railing to hammer in the nails.

How to paint a stairwell without a ladder or scaffolding | 11 Magnolia Lane

 

How to paint a stairwell without a ladder or scaffolding | 11 Magnolia Lane

While obviously there wasn’t a dramatic color difference in this space since I stuck to the original palette, just having the walls covered in a flat paint without years of unpatched nail holes makes it all look so much cleaner and better. I was dreading painting the stairwell because I knew everything would be so hard to reach, and I’m so pleased that it was easier than I thought it would be–that hardly ever happens when it comes to DIY’ing!

See our other HomeRight posts HERE and my other Magnolia Cottage posts HERE.

Sources

How I painted the stairs (post here)

Gold full-length mirror-thrifted, similar HERE

Gold framed chalkboard-thrifted (buy a piece of artwork at the thrift store and spray paint the photo with chalkboard paint), or buy similar HERE

White Martha Washington sewing cabinet-thrifted, similar HERE or HERE

Eucalyptus Garland

Black and white ribbon; see our tutorial on how to tie a floral bow HERE

16 x 20 family photos (print your own for only $10.79 each HERE); gold frames-thrifted

 

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Filed Under: Christy's Magnolia Cottage, HomeRight Projects Tagged With: homeright, Magnolia Cottage

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. laura janning says

    November 6, 2019 at 9:42 am

    looks great. I need one of those Paint sticks to avoid using a ladder all the time!

    Reply
    • Christy says

      November 6, 2019 at 10:15 am

      You really do, Laura! I have worn mine out painting this house and it’s one of my very favorite painting tools.Christy 

      Reply
  2. Marty says

    November 6, 2019 at 10:15 am

    I looks fabulous and I adore your decor. The garland is amazing.

    Reply
    • Christy says

      November 7, 2019 at 12:40 pm

      Thanks so much, Marty! It’s really starting to come together.

      Reply
  3. Heidi Colton says

    November 7, 2019 at 8:41 am

    You’ve done an amazing job! I need one of those paint sticks. I love the color. Also the garland looks fantastic.
    Heidi

    Reply
  4. Judi says

    November 7, 2019 at 8:51 am

    Looks so good – you do such a beautiful job! I love all your thrift finds. As soon as I finish this post, I am following your link to the paint stick and ordering. I have a ton of painting to get done before thanksgiving…wish me luck!

    Reply
    • Christy says

      November 7, 2019 at 12:39 pm

      Getting ready for Thanksgiving guests is a great reason to do some painting! Good luck, Judi, and thanks for the kind words!
      Christy

      Reply
  5. Heidi Colton says

    November 7, 2019 at 9:02 am

    I looked at your how to tie a bow tutorial but that was for a different style bow. Could you link one for your garland bow please?

    Reply
    • Christy says

      November 7, 2019 at 12:39 pm

      Hey, Heidi–Sorry about that–clearly we have too many bow tutorials! I updated the link. This is the one I used: https://www.11magnolialane.com/how-to-tie-a-wreath-floral-bow/Thanks for bringing it to my attention–Christy

      Reply
  6. gana says

    November 7, 2019 at 1:34 pm

    Looks simply gorgeous! What color white do you use for your doors and trim?

    Reply
    • Christy says

      November 13, 2019 at 9:39 am

      Gana, I wish I could tell you, but I haven’t painted the trim or doors at this house. However, when I’ve painted trim previously, I often use Benjamin Moore Decorator’s White. I believe it’s the most popular trim color in the country (and for good reason). I hope that helps a bit!Thanks for your kind words, too!Christy

      Reply
  7. POSTS! Oatis says

    November 10, 2019 at 4:31 pm

    I love your blog. The color you chose for the stairway and Garland are perfect!!! Love the skinny gold mirror!!! You always inspire me and I’m seriously considering the paint STICK! Thank you for all your posts!

    Reply
    • Christy says

      November 13, 2019 at 9:35 am

      Thank you so much, Connie! You made my day to be sure. The PaintStick is a great tool to have, even if you don’t paint quite as much as I do! 😉

      Reply

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  • MEET CHRISTY & AMY
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  • CELEBRATIONS
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  • HOME
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    • ROOM BY ROOM
      • BATHROOMS
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483 shares