# Spray technique advice



## SkinnyAdam (Feb 21, 2013)

I've been spraying residential for five years without a whole lot of direction or training, just trial and error and bits of advice here and there from the guys at the paint store. My technique is far from perfect and right now my biggest general headache is trying to spray a large wall of lap siding without leaving that patchy, uneven sheen behind. 

It's not that my walls look THAT bad, but you can definitely tell roughly where my ladder positions were and sort of where they overlap. Granted this is only when you catch it at just the right light, at just the right time of day. But I look at jobs that got done by other outfits where even the biggest exterior walls look PERFECT. How can I get these results?

I do two coats and always backroll my first coat.

I keep my gun facing the wall and don't spray out at dramatic angles or over reach my sections.

I don't use Sherwin products or paint on the sunny side of the house, so the dry time isn't the issue.

Should I replace my tips more often? I'll use a Graco RAC X tip for 5-10 jobs before buying a new one. I'm also spraying peel bond thru it so maybe the tips are just getting blown out?

What do you guys do for the most consistent possible sheen? 

Thanks from a rookie.


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## Epoxy Pro (Oct 7, 2012)

Work side by side with some one else who is spraying. Large section some times we will have 3 of us in a row. Just about touching hands when reaching out. We also set up a few ladders so it's all set up for us to just go up and down, move to the next ladder.

If your a one man show try using an extender.


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## journeymanPainter (Feb 26, 2014)

Exteriors e use a high performance flat, but satin if requested. When we do use satin, we backroll.

Interiors, if we spray, we ALWAYS backroll

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## Romanski (May 4, 2008)

Ladder positioning is probably one of the biggest reasons. Another, would be full even coverage.

I put my ladders up like I'm going on the roof, so they would be on the gutter (where a spike is to not dent it) or on the fascia board of a peak with the ladder at least 3 rungs above the roofline. This allows me to do the whole section of the house without moving the ladder up or down. As I go up the ladder, i spray whichever side I'm moving away from, and then when im coming down the ladder i spray the other side, then move the ladder and repeat the processes. Most of the time I try to spray to the bottom of the 2nd story windows, and then I just bust out my spray pole and walk the full length back and forth for the rest of the side so I'm guaranteed no lap marks.

90% of the exteriors I spray are hardie, with satin paint. I never backroll hardie. I never have a ladder on the actually siding while spraying the body.

I just drew this picture real quick of spraying the front of a duplex townhouse or something. With 5 ladder moves (skinny lines represent the ladder). If you did the upper part with 5 ladder positions, then sprayed below the windows with a spray pole, you should be able to get a good looking exterior. The goal is to always be wet on wet, so move fast and not in the sun, a slight overlap with no dry spray is what you want.


I'm assuming someone will argue that this method is "unsafe" putting the ladders up like that. I have no reason to believe that and have been doing it with great results for over 10 years. Just make sure you know how to setup a ladder properly.

The bottom picture is just a random one I had on my new phone. Even in the harshest lighting conditions this exterior looks great using this method. This was a deep red satin color sprayed in 95 degree weather and high humidity, the worst of the worst.


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## Epoxy Pro (Oct 7, 2012)

Romanski said:


> Ladder positioning is probably one of the biggest reasons. Another, would be full even coverage.
> 
> I put my ladders up like I'm going on the roof, so they would be on the gutter (where a spike is to not dent it) or on the fascia board of a peak with the ladder at least 3 rungs above the roofline. This allows me to do the whole section of the house without moving the ladder up or down. As I go up the ladder, i spray whichever side I'm moving away from, and then when im coming down the ladder i spray the other side, then move the ladder and repeat the processes. Most of the time I try to spray to the bottom of the 2nd story windows, and then I just bust out my spray pole and walk the full length back and forth for the rest of the side so I'm guaranteed no lap marks.
> 
> ...


I find it hard to believe you don't get lap marks spraying this way. 

Start at the top and bring it across then down. We don't back roll any exteriors we back brush.

I could take a picture at that angle as well and have no lap marks showing. Take one farther back in the sun light I bet it's a different story.


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## Jmayspaint (Mar 26, 2013)

cdpainting said:


> I find it hard to believe you don't get lap marks spraying this way.
> 
> Start at the top and bring it across then down. We don't back roll any exteriors we back brush.
> 
> I could take a picture at that angle as well and have no lap marks showing. Take one farther back in the sun light I bet it's a different story.



I think what he's saying Dave is that he sprays the side that needs to be kept wet last before getting down and moving the ladder. So if your spraying left to right, the right hand part of the set gets done last. That cuts the time the paint has to dry on the surface (at the wet edge) before you can get your ladder moved. I do the same anytime I'm needing a wet edge, spray or not. 

If you take your whole set all the way across at the beginning, the right edge at the top where you started has been since drying beginning of the set. Doing it the way he's saying (assuming I even understand it right), your right edge all gets painted right before you go down the ladder. 


......jeeze, I don't know if that makes sense, its hard to explain it clearly with words only.


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## Painter-Aaron (Jan 17, 2013)

Jmayspaint said:


> I think what he's saying Dave is that he sprays the side that needs to be kept wet last before getting down and moving the ladder. So if your spraying left to right, the right hand part of the set gets done last. That cuts the time the paint has to dry on the surface (at the wet edge) before you can get your ladder moved. I do the same anytime I'm needing a wet edge, spray or not.
> 
> If you take your whole set all the way across at the beginning, the right edge at the top where you started has been since drying beginning of the set. Doing it the way he's saying (assuming I even understand it right), your right edge all gets painted right before you go down the ladder.
> 
> ...



I want a video! 


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## Epoxy Pro (Oct 7, 2012)

Jmayspaint said:


> I think what he's saying Dave is that he sprays the side that needs to be kept wet last before getting down and moving the ladder. So if your spraying left to right, the right hand part of the set gets done last. That cuts the time the paint has to dry on the surface (at the wet edge) before you can get your ladder moved. I do the same anytime I'm needing a wet edge, spray or not.
> 
> If you take your whole set all the way across at the beginning, the right edge at the top where you started has been since drying beginning of the set. Doing it the way he's saying (assuming I even understand it right), your right edge all gets painted right before you go down the ladder.
> 
> ...


He said he starts at the bottom of the second floor windows and sprays up then comes down and sprays. On a 2 story house by the time you get back to the bottom of the window the paint has already started to dry. What do you do when your in the center of the house at the peak, now by the time you come back down the paint is even dryer.

We do set ladders up like his drawing but not over the roof line, we place them right on the siding.


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## robladd (Nov 22, 2010)

Romanski said:


> Ladder positioning is probably one of the biggest reasons. Another, would be full even coverage.
> 
> I put my ladders up like I'm going on the roof, so they would be on the gutter (where a spike is to not dent it) or on the fascia board of a peak with the ladder at least 3 rungs above the roofline. This allows me to do the whole section of the house without moving the ladder up or down. As I go up the ladder, i spray whichever side I'm moving away from, and then when im coming down the ladder i spray the other side, then move the ladder and repeat the processes. Most of the time I try to spray to the bottom of the 2nd story windows, and then I just bust out my spray pole and walk the full length back and forth for the rest of the side so I'm guaranteed no lap marks.
> 
> ...


I want to make this clear. From the Illustration this would of been 5 ladder climbs. You would spray from the bottom of the 2nd floor window up to the eve to the left of the ladder and then coming down spraying behind the ladder. Then you would spray to the right of the ladder only on the last ladder climb?


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## Oden (Feb 8, 2012)

It's all trial and error still for me. They are all the same and all a bit different I don't Backroll if I don't have to. A new tip is better than a old one. Less ladder moves are better than more, keeping a wet edge is a ideal. I try. Kimda hard with water base and alone and off of ladders on a big wall. Putting some mileage on goes a long way. And the drier ur work is the better it will look. Something that iis catching ur eye the day after you did it a week later often fades together as iit becomes more dry,


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## Jmayspaint (Mar 26, 2013)

cdpainting said:


> He said he starts at the bottom of the second floor windows and sprays up then comes down and sprays. On a 2 story house by the time you get back to the bottom of the window the paint has already started to dry. What do you do when your in the center of the house at the peak, now by the time you come back down the paint is even dryer.
> 
> We do set ladders up like his drawing but not over the roof line, we place them right on the siding.



So how big of a set do you do spraying? 6-8 ft vertical doesn't seem excessive to me.

Personally, I would do a peak set first, then take it from the top of the windows.


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## stelzerpaintinginc. (May 9, 2012)

You said you keep your gun facing the wall and don't spray out at dramatic angles, but your problem could be as simple as heavy start/stop points. Try using a smaller tip, a newer tip, and just enough pressure to maintains a good spray pattern. This will allow you to feather your edges more and minimize the likelihood of visible lap marks. If your still throwing a lot of overspray, switch to a FF tip until you really master your technique. 

Keeping a wet edge is key if your not back-rolling/brushing when spraying anything other than flat, so develop your own system which allows you to do so.

For me, I'll use natural breaks in the house as beginning/end-points when I spray, (such as downspouts, belly-bands, etc). I also prefer to set my ladder on the gutters or facia, but if that doesn't work for you, try ladder stabilizers, which allows for some distance between your ladder and the home. 

I also split each side up into 2-3 sections, depending upon the size. I'll spray the upper half on a side, then lower half. 

We all might have slightly different ways of doing it, but figure out what works for you and fine-tune it over time. 


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## gabe (Apr 20, 2012)

It doesn't matter if you are brushing, rolling or spraying, you still must keep a wet edge, apply an even amount of paint to each board. I would do the left side fascia and soffit from top to bottom, then right side. Then I would set up ladders to do 6-10 sections of siding from one side to other. One rule I have is never paint below your ladder.


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## Romanski (May 4, 2008)

cdpainting said:


> I find it hard to believe you don't get lap marks spraying this way.
> 
> Start at the top and bring it across then down. We don't back roll any exteriors we back brush.
> 
> I could take a picture at that angle as well and have no lap marks showing. Take one farther back in the sun light I bet it's a different story.



Well it's not a different story. I'll make sure and get a better picture, just for you. Looking straight up in that type of light when the sheen at full reflect would show lap marks and imperfections. (you can see shadows from the tree, which would also show shadows from lap marks)

I know this exterior looks bad ass, from all angles.

Amazes me how people think they are the only ones that know how to paint, and everyone else sucks. I don't need 3 people in a row to spray out a side, I use those 2 extra guys to mask ahead.



cdpainting said:


> He said he starts at the bottom of the second floor windows and sprays up then comes down and sprays. On a 2 story house by the time you get back to the bottom of the window the paint has already started to dry. What do you do when your in the center of the house at the peak, now by the time you come back down the paint is even dryer.
> 
> We do set ladders up like his drawing but not over the roof line, we place them right on the siding.



There ya go, you set it on the siding, so I already know I'm spraying out the side way faster and with a more even spray. You mention that I can't spray going up on my left, down on my right without getting lap marks... the paint doesn't dry in 2 minutes here in Oregon unless its summer, in the afternoon, in direct sunlight, which I don't spray in those conditions. I start on a house depending on where the afternoon sun will be, so I don't run into those problems.



So anyways, I'm not going to keep arguing. This picture might be a better example. I think it's the best way to keep a wet edge with no lap marks while being the most time and energy efficient as possible (fewest ladders moves, 1 person)


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## Monstertruck (Oct 26, 2013)

gabe said:


> It doesn't matter if you are brushing, rolling or spraying, you still *must keep a wet edge*, apply *an even amount of paint to each board*. I would do the left side fascia and soffit from top to bottom, then right side. Then I would set up ladders to do 6-10 sections of siding from one side to other. One rule I have is *never paint below your ladder*.


Ayuh.:thumbup:
There has rarely been a time when we don't back brush/roll walls inside or out.


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## Toolnut (Nov 23, 2012)

I am not sure why you bankroll the 1st coat and not the 2nd seems just the opposite would help with your problems.


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## journeymanPainter (Feb 26, 2014)

All sprayed, no backroll, or back brush

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## Jasonthep8nter (Aug 7, 2013)

SkinnyAdam said:


> I've been spraying residential for five years without a whole lot of direction or training, just trial and error and bits of advice here and there from the guys at the paint store. My technique is far from perfect and right now my biggest general headache is trying to spray a large wall of lap siding without leaving that patchy, uneven sheen behind. It's not that my walls look THAT bad, but you can definitely tell roughly where my ladder positions were and sort of where they overlap. Granted this is only when you catch it at just the right light, at just the right time of day. But I look at jobs that got done by other outfits where even the biggest exterior walls look PERFECT. How can I get these results? I do two coats and always backroll my first coat. I keep my gun facing the wall and don't spray out at dramatic angles or over reach my sections. I don't use Sherwin products or paint on the sunny side of the house, so the dry time isn't the issue. Should I replace my tips more often? I'll use a Graco RAC X tip for 5-10 jobs before buying a new one. I'm also spraying peel bond thru it so maybe the tips are just getting blown out? What do you guys do for the most consistent possible sheen? Thanks from a rookie.


. 

The best piece of advice I could give would be to overlap your passes by about 50% and you shouldn't have an issue even when spraying satin. The other culprit is your tip size, you said you use graco rac x tips which are great and the same ones me and probably everybody else on here uses as well but if your using a small tip it's not helping you, that an you said you're spraying 5-10 houses before changing tips that means it's blown out so your also not going to get good coverage an wasting paint. I buy a new tip after I spray about 30-35 gallons so really after I spray two exteriors or interiors I'm buying a new one, an the only ones I use are 517 those are perfect for exterior walls, interior walls, ceilings etc. hope this helps


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## Monstertruck (Oct 26, 2013)

journeymanPainter said:


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> ...


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## journeymanPainter (Feb 26, 2014)

Jasonthep8nter said:


> .
> 
> The best piece of advice I could give would be to overlap your passes by about 50% and you shouldn't have an issue even when spraying satin. The other culprit is your tip size, you said you use graco rac x tips which are great and the same ones me and probably everybody else on here uses as well but if your using a small tip it's not helping you, that an you said you're spraying 5-10 houses before changing tips that means it's blown out so your also not going to get good coverage an wasting paint. I buy a new tip after I spray about 30-35 gallons so really after I spray two exteriors or interiors I'm buying a new one, an the only ones I use are 517 those are perfect for exterior walls, interior walls, ceilings etc. hope this helps


Wow 517. You must go through a butt load of paint. I only use a x17 if I'm spaying oil, or coverstain.

Most acrylics only require an x10

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## Jmayspaint (Mar 26, 2013)

journeymanPainter said:


> Wow 517. You must go through a butt load of paint. I only use a x17 if I'm spaying oil, or coverstain.
> 
> Most acrylics only require an x10
> 
> Sent from my SGH-T989D using Tapatalk



Huh? Most acrylics I know about recommend a 15 minimum. 

For me, the lagger tips work better. They will more easily lay down the 4mil film in looking for. 

Of course, I spray fairly fast. I know a lot of people like smaller and fine finish tips, but in open stretches of siding I have to spray painfully slow (to me) to get enough paint on.


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## Susan (Nov 29, 2011)

In spraying auto, I was told 50% overlaps and "wet on wet, you're all set." Never had a problem.


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## Jasonthep8nter (Aug 7, 2013)

Jmayspaint said:


> Huh? Most acrylics I know about recommend a 15 minimum. For me, the lagger tips work better. They will more easily lay down the 4mil film in looking for. Of course, I spray fairly fast. I know a lot of people like smaller and fine finish tips, but in open stretches of siding I have to spray painfully slow (to me) to get enough paint on.


I am the same way you have to use a large tip to go fast anything smaller than a 515 is way to slow especially when you have a lot of spraying to do, I'm talking a whole interior or exterior you need to get goin, can't do that with a small tip


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## journeymanPainter (Feb 26, 2014)

I mainly use with a 2xx or a 3xx. This summer I've been pulling the 4 out a bit more, but I like the smaller fan because I find I can keep better control of everything.

last summer we re sprayed an epoxy deck for a local pool, and I was doing a little bit more than the companies main spray guy, and I was using a much smaller tip

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## Paradigmzz (May 5, 2010)

journeymanPainter said:


> I mainly use with a 2xx or a 3xx. This summer I've been pulling the 4 out a bit more, but I like the smaller fan because I find I can keep better control of everything.
> 
> last summer we re sprayed an epoxy deck for a local pool, and I was doing a little bit more than the companies main spray guy, and I was using a much smaller tip
> 
> Sent from my SGH-T989D using Tapatalk


The idea of a 2xx tip seems nuts on anything other than ballisters and super small baseboards. Glad it works for you but laplines when you dont need to worry about them would be my concern.


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## 6126 (May 9, 2010)

Romanski said:


> Ladder positioning is probably one of the biggest reasons. Another, would be full even coverage.
> 
> I put my ladders up like I'm going on the roof, so they would be on the gutter (where a spike is to not dent it) or on the fascia board of a peak with the ladder at least 3 rungs above the roofline. This allows me to do the whole section of the house without moving the ladder up or down. As I go up the ladder, i spray whichever side I'm moving away from, and then when im coming down the ladder i spray the other side, then move the ladder and repeat the processes. Most of the time I try to spray to the bottom of the 2nd story windows, and then I just bust out my spray pole and walk the full length back and forth for the rest of the side so I'm guaranteed no lap marks.
> 
> ...


:thumbsup: What he said :yes:


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## matthew1224 (Aug 12, 2014)

*uniform sheen*

I have been painting residential for over 35 years. With our system we roll and cut a clear coat of sealer before painting. I am using behr premium plus as a finish coat, we roll that also[1 coat covers almost anything]. We get a perfect uniform sheen. Only thing we spray is the soffits, garage door, electrical box and cable boxes. Being in florida most contractors use sealer because of chalking. But that takes more labor and the paint is about $35 a gallon, which makes our prices higher. The paint job last about 10 to 12 years. Only problem is a higher price means less jobs coming in. Thinking of giving 2 prices for each estimate, one to spray everything 2 coats with a $25 paint and one to roll the walls with sealer and $35 paint. Have spray bigger jobs with clear sealer, seemed to work out good. Have to be careful with sealer as it tends to stick to everything like super glue.


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## Repaintpro (Oct 2, 2012)

journeymanPainter said:


> Wow 517. You must go through a butt load of paint. I only use a x17 if I'm spaying oil, or coverstain.
> 
> Most acrylics only require an x10
> 
> Sent from my SGH-T989D using Tapatalk


x17 for all our internal work too! Material usage does not change that much because you are moving a lot faster across the substrate.


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## Scannell Painting (Sep 25, 2010)

matthew1224 said:


> I have been painting residential for over 35 years. With our system we roll and cut a clear coat of sealer before painting. I am using behr premium plus as a finish coat, we roll that also[1 coat covers almost anything]. We get a perfect uniform sheen. Only thing we spray is the soffits, garage door, electrical box and cable boxes. Being in florida most contractors use sealer because of chalking. But that takes more labor and the paint is about $35 a gallon, which makes our prices higher. The paint job last about 10 to 12 years. Only problem is a higher price means less jobs coming in. Thinking of giving 2 prices for each estimate, one to spray everything 2 coats with a $25 paint and one to roll the walls with sealer and $35 paint. Have spray bigger jobs with clear sealer, seemed to work out good. Have to be careful with sealer as it tends to stick to everything like super glue.


 Hmmm, what kind of sealer & have you tried semigloss over that product?


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## Jmayspaint (Mar 26, 2013)

Scannell Painting said:


> Hmmm, what kind of sealer & have you tried semigloss over that product?



Sounds like he's talking about Seal Krete Original or something similar like Loxon Conditioner. Seal Krete is made in FL and it works really well for preparing stucco and other surfaces for painting. It's especially popular in sunny climates like FL where exterior coatings are prone to chalk from UV's. locks residual chalk down on the surface, and seals it.


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## ridesarize (Jun 19, 2012)

journeymanPainter said:


> Wow 517. You must go through a butt load of paint. I only use a x17 if I'm spaying oil, or coverstain.
> 
> Most acrylics only require an x10
> 
> Sent from my SGH-T989D using Tapatalk


HuH? a 517 is wondeful for most exteriors with larger areas, 515 is next best when you want the same tip for soffits and siding, and don't want soffits to be too thick.. Now 517 for the shaked exterior, yeah a little big though.

Journeyman, I'm sorry, I like ya and all but the zero backroll method on ALL surfaces is uh... not right. Sorry, the first pic, it is what it is, the second pic, just fine, it's smooth looking, the third, ugly.

I sprayed an exterior lately, several actually and took a photo of before it's backrolled and after. What a complete improvement on the rough furry, knot ridden wood. I thought I read that you do backroll exteriors sometimes (hardi plank? seems backwards to me)

EDIT, NOW I realize this is an old thread, great.....


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## ridesarize (Jun 19, 2012)

Romanski, I'm totally with ya on how you set your ladders up. I love to do it that way when there aren't really picky clients about placing them on roof edges. Many times it will damage the roof tabs edge, but I do what I can when I can to avoid it. On new spec home homes with no gutters installed yeah I do it that way exclusively, the higher the better.
I spray with a short extension I can handle with one hand, and go down so far, that I may need a 8" step ladder to reach lower spots. I hate spraying walls and having to lower my ladder , again, and again when it's in the way.

I don't spray going upwards, and switch to downwards, but it works for ya, and I believe ya if you say it works well and looks good. 

Good Illustrations. :thumbup:


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## ridesarize (Jun 19, 2012)

SkinnyAdam

I like to overlap my sections so each section has more like two spray applications. If you spray 5 feet side to side, and move over and spray 5 feet side to side, overlapping only one and half foot, there will be two lighter sections and one and a half feet of wetter section. 
Also I usually fan out instead of only keeping gun straight at wall on jobs where overspray won't travel and cause a problem. 

Just by being aware of what you want to improve, you will eventually improve. Keep it up.

Edit, Again, love realizing I posted on old threads after typing so much.


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## Mathiasian (Nov 26, 2014)

*Use an A Frame*

Instead of using an extension ladder, use a 10' 12' or a 14' A frame with a 3' to 4' extension pole. You won't be able to get super high peaks with the A frames, but you won't have ladder marks on the sides that you paint this way either. Let's say that you are on a 12' A frame, and you are standing at 10' feet. If you are 6' tall with your arm extended 3' using a 4' spray pole, you should be able to reach approximately 23'. If you do have a high peak, use an extension ladder to get to the top. next, use the A frame ladder. Not only is this method going to give you a better finish, you will be able to move much quicker as well.


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