If you've decided to re-decorate your house during lockdown - bravo! Now is a great time to give your home a new lick of paint and make the place look fresh and clean.

Anyone whos ever painted a room before knows that it's fiddly, time-consuming and can be messy. What can you do to make the process easier? Well, you should start by making sure you have the best equipment. Let's be honest, the ceiling is without a doubt the trickiest place to paint in any room, so we're going to set you up with the best ladder for the job.

What to look for?

When you're looking for the perfect ladder for painting the ceiling, you want to avoid ladders that will require you to over-reach. You never want to stand on the top three rungs, so if you're finding yourself over-extending then your ladder is too short. 

Your ladder needs to be certified for your weight plus the weight of your equipment, so if you're going to be carrying a few tins of paint, brushes, rollers, trays and a cup of tea then you need to take this into account.

Let's take a closer look at the best three ladders for painting the ceiling, platform step ladders and multi purpose ladders.

Platform Step ladders

Up there as one of the best ladders fr painting the ceiling is the humble platform step ladder. These ladders are ideal for painting ceilings because they come in a wide range of heights and they feature a useful platform at the top. 

When you use a platform ladder to paint your ceiling, you'll be elevated comfortably, you'll be able to reach the ceiling easily and you'll be able to pick up and put down your painting equipment as required.

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Multi purpose ladders

Whether you need to paint a huge ceiling or the ceiling over a staircase, our multi purpose ladders are a great option. As far as ladders go, they are the most versatile option and will allow you to paint comfortably almost anywhere! 

Some of our multipurpose ladders, like the 5-way multi purpose ladder shown above, come with an optional platform for extra workspace. We highly recommend purchasing one of these multipurpose ladders if you're a painter and decorator by trade. It will help you to paint ceilings in every setting and will allow you to stay elevated for longer periods of time than a regular step ladder.

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So, there you have it the best kinds of ladders for painting the ceiling! If you have any other questions, feel free to drop us an email or give us a call on 01446 789538.

Ladders are a pretty universal piece of equipment that every man and his dog has in the garage. Tradespeople have them, homeowners have them and (if you don't already) you should have one too!

If so many people have ladders then surely they must be safe. Right? Well, not necessarily. As with all pieces of equipment, the equipment itself might be perfectly safe, but if the person using it does so in an unsafe way, then that's where accidents and injuries occur. 

When it comes to answering the question "are my ladders safe?" you need to consider a few things. Have you inspected the ladder itself for potential faults or weaknesses? And do you have the proper training and safety procedures in place to ensure that you can use the ladder properly?

How can you check if a ladder is safe?

If you've had a ladder stored away in the garage for a while, you might be wondering how safe it is to use. This is a perfectly normal concern that can be resolved by carrying out a simple ladder inspection before you get to work. During your initial inspection you should:

• Check that the rungs are all firmly attached and in place
• Look for damaged parts like corroded nails
• Identify any cracks or splits
• Ensure that all moving parts are working

If the ladder appears to be in good working order then it's probably safe to use. However, if for any reason you suspect that something has corroded, broken or stopped working since you last used it then it might be time to order a replacement. Take a look at our ladders below:

Our Ladders >       Our Step Ladders >        Our Roof Ladders >

How to use a ladder safely

It probably comes as no surprise that the biggest cause of ladder accidents is human error - and nothing to do with ladders themselves. As we said, ladders are safe as long as they're in the right hands. Here are a few points to remember if you want to use a ladder safely:

1. Always make sure that the work you need to do has been planned properly & that all risks have been considered.

2. Do as much work as you can from the ground. You should only use the ladder when it's absolutely necessary.

3. Ensure that the area you're working in has been cleared of obstacles/debris.

4. Think about what you're wearing. Do you need extra PPE to work safely?

5. Consider what would happen in the event of an emergency. Do you have the right precautions in place to prevent an injury?

By being aware of yourself, your surroundings and the task at hand, you can make sure that your ladder is safe. Climbing up your ladder with no prior thought is bound to cause an accident, so please be mindful of proper ladder safety practices before you get to work.

So to answer your question, "are ladders safe?" - yes. Ladders are an incredibly safe piece of equipment as long as they're looked after, checked regularly and used by a competent person. 

Take a look at our other ladder safety blogs for more information:

• Step Ladder Inspection Checklist
• What to Do if Your Ladder Starts to Fall
• Working Safely at Height: A Guide

If you have any other questions about our ladders, don't hesitate to give us a call on 01446 789538.

A recent announcement from the government means that rapid asymptomatic COVID-19 testing will be rolled out across all local authorities for tradespeople and key workers who cannot work from home. This is great news for tradespeople who, up until now, could have been transmitting the virus around the homes that they visited for work without even knowing.

So far, 131 local authorities have signed up to the scheme, but the government plans to rapidly expand it so that rapid asymptomatic COVID-19 tests will be available to tradespeople across the entire country.

NHS track and trace are also working closely with the government to improve workforce testing. So far, 27,000 rapid asymptomatic COVID-19 tests have been carried out for public sector workers.

What are the benefits of testing asymptomatic people?

Current evidence suggests that 1 in 3 people who have COVID-19 don't have any symptoms. This means there are thousands of people living and working among us, who don't even know that they have the virus. 

The government's new plan to make rapid testing available to tradespeople and other workers that interact with the public on a daily basis aims to curb the spread of the virus. Tradespeople who test positive for the virus (despite showing no symptoms) will be asked to self-isolate. 

While this may seem inconvenient if you're a self-employed tradesperson, it certainly is a step in the right direction in terms of protecting people in the homes you're visiting and making sure that the country's vital services can continue to operate safely. So far, asymptomatic tests have helped to identify almost 15,000 people who would never have known that they had the virus.

How do I arrange a rapid COVID-19 test?

The government haven't yet released a list of rapid COVID-19 test centres because the system is still in its early stages. That being said, if you're a tradesperson who's interested in having a rapid asymptomatic COVID-19 test, you should contact your local authority to find out where they're being carried out in your local area. They can advise you on how to book the test and where to go for it.

How does the rapid COVID-19 test work?

First, a swab is taken from your nostrils or the back of your throat. This part is similar to a standard COVID-19 test. Next, your sample is mixed with a solution and a drip is added to the test's sample well. 

The test takes 30 minutes to develop, then you should see your results as either positive, negative or inconclusive. If your test is inconclusive, you may be asked to book another one.

This new system of rapid testing is guaranteed to make working life safer for tradespeople, and we're hopeful that this will give you all a bit of normality back.

Give us a call if you're heading back to work and need to update your toolkit with a new ladder. We have some great trade discounts available if you apply for one of our trade accounts.

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Read More: Can Tradespeople Work During Lockdown?

Yep, you read that right - desperate times call for desperate measures and football fans will do anything to catch a glimpse of their beloved sport.

A recent news report told how at least 10 fans of Deveronvale FC used step ladders to peer into the Princess Royal Park Stadium in Banff. A stadium that they're currently not allowed to enter due to COVID-19 restrictions.

They've been warned that this is not an acceptable way to watch the football match... (but you have to applaud their dedication).

On a separate occasion, crowds gathered with their step ladders to catch a glimpse of the Highland League matches, but critics warn that this reckless behaviour would only lead to prolonged stadium closures.

The creativity of the persistent Scottish football fans didn't end there... two people were seen aboard a cherry picker outside Pittodrie trying to watch Aberdeen's season opener against the Rangers. 

We know it's frustrating that you can't watch the football matches in person, but most clubs are streaming footage of the matches so that you can watch remotely.

So, while we don't recommend purchasing our step ladders to watch a football match, we do recommend having one on hand so you can finally get those odd jobs done during the lockdown. Then, you can put it back in the garage, relax and enjoy the match from the safety of your own home! 

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If you want to access your attic more easily, installing a loft ladder is a great way to achieve this. A permanent loft ladder saves you the hassle of fetching and setting up a conventional ladder every time you want to go up there - and most loft ladders can be neatly folded away when you're done.

Before you purchase a loft ladder, though, we recommend taking a moment to familiarise yourself with the different types of loft ladder that are available. Here's a quick guide from Ladders UK Direct...

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