High walls can be difficult to paint when the sun shines across the wall through a window because it will reveal imperfections and paint lapping on the wall.
Clear everything out of the room that you can. With a high wall room, the less in the room - the better. You don’t need any obstacles in your way when you are moving an extension ladder around the room, or when you are “swinging” a long extension pole.
Scaffolding
Professional painters will seldom use a scaffold for a number of reasons on a residential repaint that involves simple rolling out of paint on high walls of reasonable height. Scaffolds are very slow, and must be rented, which really raises the price for painting. The do not afford the opportunity of rolling from top to bottom of the wall, unless if is used for cutting in only. The wheels of the scaffold can damage wood floors and vinyl floors unless they are protected.
The only time a scaffold makes sense to me for painting a simple brush and roll room is if the painter is not comfortable using an extension ladder. In that case, it makes more sense to simply hire out the painting to a painter who is used to working off a ladder.
Rolling with an extension pole
If you are accustomed to rolling without an extension pole, rolling a high room with a 12’ or 18’ pole is not the time to learn.
Your best friend when rolling a high wall is a telescoping pole that is easy to change lengths. Quick and easy telescoping will enable you to smoothly roll out the walls. Depending on the height of the room and the size of the room, you may have to dip into the paint, then raise the roller up, then extend the pole to the desired working height. See Wooster Extension Poles for a smooth quick and easy telescoping paint pole.
Rolling a high wall requires applying the paint in sections of 6’ height or so and then laying the whole thing off from top to bottom - if possible. Roll up toward the ceiling as close as you can without the risk of touching it, then finish off all the way down to the baseboard. If you mask off the baseboard, you can go ahead and hit it with the roller. Work in widths of 4’ - 8’, roll the paint on, top section then middle, then bottom section. Next finish the whole width off by rolling from top to bottom. Then move on to the next 4’ - 8’, and continue until the whole wall is done.
Lapping
A problem that will really stand out on a high wall is lapping in the middle of the wall. To eliminate this you must (when possible) finish your final rolling strokes from top to bottom. If you roll out the top of the wall, then come back and roll out the middle of the wall, then come back and roll out the bottom of the wall, you will have laps marks in the middle of the wall that will be visible. Having said that, flat paints will be far more forgiving toward lap marks, as will poor lighting in the room. Keep that in mind, if you have a cramped room that will not allow extending the pole for rolling top - to bottom. On such a room, you may have to roll it in sections, and you might want to do it in flat paint if the lighting is good to disguise any lapping.
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Cutting in - off an extension ladder
Painting high interior walls is similar to painting an exterior. You will need to use an extension ladder, paint hook to hold the paint bucket, with ladder mitts on the ends of the ladder to protect the wall. See Using an Extension Ladder.
Regardless of the paint sheen, on a high wall, you will cut at the ceiling first from end to end, prior to rolling out the wall. You can even cut in the whole room, then bring the ladder totally out of the house and out of the way. Cut in the top of the wall with a 3” brush, and bring the brushed paint band down about 6” - 8” from the ceiling. Move the ladder out of the way so that it will not impede the roller extension pole when you begin rolling.
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Painting High Walls
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