Scaffolding for Painting a 2 Story House: What to Rent

Short answer: to paint a 2 story house, rent a rolling scaffold tower or frame scaffold depending on the height and the ground. Measure from the ground to the highest point you will paint. If it is 18 ft or less and the ground under the wall is firm and level, an 18 ft rolling tower lets you paint one section, climb down and roll to the next. Taller gables, long walls and lawn or sloped ground point to frame scaffold.

General information only, not legal or engineering advice. Rules change: check the linked primary sources or ask Cal/OSHA before you rely on them.

Rolling tower or frame scaffold for a 2 story house?

Pick by two things: the highest point you will paint and the ground under the wall. A rolling tower is the faster choice when both are easy. Frame scaffold takes over when the wall is tall, long or stands on ground a tower can't use.

To get the number, measure from the ground where the scaffold will stand to the highest point you have to paint, then subtract about 6 ft of reach. The scaffold height guide walks through the measuring. A two-story house can end up mixed: a tower for the second-floor windows over the driveway, frame scaffold for the gable side. If you are still deciding, read rolling scaffold tower vs frame scaffold.

How to paint a 2 story house from a rolling scaffold

Work in sections the width of the tower, top to bottom, and move the tower only when the section is done. The order matters more than speed, because each step has to be dry before the next one starts.

1. Wash first. Clean the siding or stucco and let it dry. Sherwin-Williams says the surface must be dry before painting, because too much moisture in the substrate leads to peeling.
2. Prep from the platform. Scrape, sand and caulk the section within reach. Keep the deck clean: MetalTech's manual says not to let oil, grease or slippery material build up on climbing or gripping surfaces.
3. Paint top down. Start at the eave or the top trim so drips land on unpainted wall.
4. Climb down and move. Lock the casters again before anyone climbs.

The tower rules are short. Cal/OSHA rules bind employers, but they are a sound baseline at home too. Cal/OSHA Title 8, Section 1646 says casters must be locked while workers climb or work on a rolling scaffold, and that ladders or other unstable objects must not go on top of it to gain height. MetalTech's manual adds: never move the scaffold while standing on it, remove or fasten tools and material before moving, and keep your body centered inside the frame instead of overreaching. Paint cans, a sprayer hose and a roller pole all count as material to secure before you roll.

Spray or roll from the platform?

Spraying is faster, brushing is neater, and many painters do both. Sherwin-Williams describes spraying to get paint on the surface quickly, then back brushing to spread it evenly.

On a tower, that split works well:

• Spraying: covers a section fast, but mask windows, trim and anything below the platform first. Keep the hose fastened so it does not drag on the frame when you move.
• Rolling or brushing: slower, easier to control in tight spots like trim and window edges, and less masking.
• Both: spray the section, back brush or back roll it, then move on.

Either way, paint only what you can reach from the center of the deck. If you have to lean out, it is time to move the tower.

How long to rent scaffold to paint a house

Rent for the number of dry working days you need, plus the drying time between steps. Kireon's 18 ft and 15 ft towers rent at the same rates. With pickup it is $99 for 1 day, $249 for 3 days or $399 for a week. With round-trip delivery and pickup within Sacramento included it is $149, $329 or $499.

Count the days for washing, drying, prep and each coat. If the job runs past 3 days, a week at $399 costs less than two 3-day rentals at $249 each. Longer rentals are by quote. There is no deposit: you sign a rental agreement that states the replacement cost of the equipment. The scaffold rental cost guide has the full price table.

When is it too hot or too cold to paint outside?

Follow the label of your paint, and watch the night as well as the day. Sherwin-Williams gives 50 F as the normal minimum for latex paint and lists some of its products, such as Duration, Resilience and SuperPaint, for use down to 35 F.

• Cool nights: dew forms as soon as the sun goes down. Sherwin-Williams says most products need at least 4 hours of dry time before moisture settles, and the cooler it is, the earlier you should stop painting.
• Hot days: above 100 F, paint can dry before it adheres properly and peel later. On a hot Sacramento afternoon, paint the walls that are in shade.
• After rain: wait at least one day after a heavy rain and check that the surface is dry. Masonry and wood soak up more water than aluminum or vinyl siding.
• Wind: MetalTech's manual says not to use the tower in inclement weather or high winds. A windy day is a bad day for spraying anyway.

Is your house older than 1978?

If it is, the old paint may contain lead, and scraping it from a scaffold puts chips and dust on the ground below. The EPA says homes built before 1978 may have lead-based paint and recommends testing by a certified lead inspector or risk assessor before the work.

The EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule generally does not apply to homeowners working on their own home. It does apply if you rent out all or part of the house, run a child care center in it, or renovate and sell homes for profit. Contractors who paint pre-1978 homes must be lead-safe certified. If you do the work yourself, the EPA's do-it-yourself page lists lead-safe practices: set up safely, protect yourself, minimize dust, leave your work area clean, control your waste and clean one more time at the end.

Kireon rents and sells equipment only and does not set up scaffolding or paint. You or your crew assemble the tower or frame scaffold following the manufacturer's instructions. When you know your heights and dates, request a quote and Kireon confirms the equipment, dates and price in writing.

Next step: see rolling tower rental or frame scaffold rental, then request a quote with your dates and ZIP code.