Does anyone know the answer to various scaffolding questions.... Is it reasonably safe to buy 2nd hand (ref if it's physically sound) given that I'm reasonably practical but don't know the detail of strength points etc on it..
If so, what is the best to look out for (english or Spanish terms equally useful!) - eg are they all steel or is there aluminium and is it (presumably) much more expensive etc etc. Any info gratefully received... we have a VERY high living room ceiling (inaccessible to any ladder I've yet found) which hasn't been painted since we've had the house & the spiders would like a touch of the Laurence Llewellyn Bowens more than once every decade

... or if new is the way to go, are any of the big DIY chains better than others?

How high is the ceiling

Also have you thought of hiring?

Hi fionamw,

We had this problem above the stairs.

Bought an extention hose for the vacuum cleaner, fixed it to some 2x1 to reach.

Did the same with the roller and brush.

When my kids finally stopped laughing they took photos. But I had the last laugh, it worked.

J.

Hire a set of platform scaffold and a set of wheels for a day or so, much cheaper than buying and storing for a couple of years.

I had considered this - I've borrowed a friend's so the concept of having it temporarily is familiar - however we've a high wall at the rear of the house which is inaccessible to ladders too (complete with gutter, so double reason), the rear interior passage also has a high ceiling as does 7yo's room (the one I borrowed scaffold for last time). Damned pitched* beamed ceilings. Look wonderful, nightmare in practical terms. Anyway, if anyone knows the whys and wherefors of buying 2nd hand or new, etc., I'm still interested not least because I know just how far out the back of my pickup scaffold sticks. A km from a mate's house is one thing, 35km to the nearest known hire outlet is another

* I'm sure this isn't the right term.... it's a vertical wall with a sloping roof down to a lower vertical wall. ??

Scaffolding = andamios and the metal "boards" that go across that you stand on are called plataformas. I've bought new & 2ndhand here over the years. A new lift (2m high) of scaffolding is about 55€ plus IVA. Each plataforma will set you back another 15€ or so from memory. If you have a scrap metal merchant/yard anywhere near you you can often pick up 2ndhand plataformas but do check the hooks at the ends carefully as these are the bits that rust through or get bent and they are also the bits that will be taking your weight
New can be bought in the likes of Bricomart, Bricodepot, Leroy Merlin, probably AKI or most ferreterias. If you don't want to buy, most ferreterias have them available for hire too, pretty cheap and will of course no doubt deliver!

theres someone in the friday ads selling some

easier to hire an andamio

It is a clearstory mono pitch roof/ceiling.

Thanks!