I would go with an 8 ft step ladder.

 

I like my knees touching something, so I vote for a 10' step ladder. I wouldn't wish an A frame ladder on an enemy.

 

I vote for a podium step ladder @10'

Much better you can lean into them a bit and a bigger flat space under foot.
My ceiling peak is just over 15' I have a 12' one of these. I do not mind working over head

 

The problem with a podium ladder is you have to stand on the platform to take advantage of the podium. Werner makes a 9' podium that is actually 8'7" in height, but the platform is at 5'9". Now I am 5'9" so when I am standing on the platform the top of my head is at 11'6" which is the height of the ceiling. If I am hanging a fan or a light fixture I need to see inside the ceiling box, or if I am painting I need to be lower so I can see what I am doing, so I think I want to such that the top of my head is 18" or so below the ceiling but my arms can reach the ceiling if needed. This means I will be standing a rung or two lower then the ceiling for a 9' podium ladder. Sounds to me the 8' is what will work. A 10' ladder will put the top work platform where you will rest your tools and parts 18" below the ceiling, which may be the height my head needs to be at to work but then I can't even see the platform because that will be at the eye level. You wouldn't want to stand such that a paint bucket sitting on the top platform will be higher then your eyes right?

 

Definitely a 10 foot.

A person will not feel safe working from the top few steps of a ladder. You like to feel your leg/hip resting against something. That's why the platform ladder shown above "feels safe" when you are standing on the platform.

 

If you have a place to store it, get a Bakers scaffold with wheels.
It will cost you about the same as a good step ladder but allow you to stand securely on both feet without having to hold on when working.
So many projects need two hands when in the air.
Whenever I have to work overhead for more than changing out a light bulb....I put up the scaffold.

 

I would get 8' fiberglass if your height and arms allow you to be comfortable even with ceiling fan weights. Name brand and I think homedepot is fine as long name you know and can try at the store. Fiberglass for stiff frame and more stability. Don't skimp on width and price. 10' may not allow you to navigate in the house. Mock a 10'er with cardboard and see.
BTW, a rental? If ceiling lights, get the ones that drop to 7.5 or so. You may not want to buy the renter a stool for legal reasons but changing the bulbs would be a challenge for most people.

 

Ladder grades make a difference, I'd want at least a type I

• Type IAA ladders have a load capacity of 375 pounds.
• Type IA ladders have a load capacity of 300 pounds.
• Type I ladders have a load capacity of 250 pounds.
• Type II ladders have a load capacity of 225 pounds.
• Type III ladders have a load capacity of 200 pounds.

IMO an 8' ladder is size you want. A 10' is harder to maneuver. ..... but then I have spent a lifetime working off of ladders.

 

In my younger days heights didn’t bother me at all being electrician. I stood on top of ladders all time felt stable. Now that I’m older and tad smarter I think now what a nut I was. Get 10’, little more money and weights little more but it be more stable. If your not every day user or make living off ladder, again get 10’

 

Forgot about. Carrying 10' step ladder indoors, you can also easily scratch walls and such.

 

8 ft ladder with 12 ft ceiling would look like this.

 

I just bought a loft style apartment with a 12' ceiling. Using a laser I measured from floor to ceiling is 11'4".
Patching, taping and painting ceiling

For doing drywall taping and patching I would seriously consider getting a Baker scaffold, in fact you might need a pair of scaffolds or at least a set of guard rails. I had room of about the same height with popcorn texture on the ceiling which I removed and then patched and retaped a couple of long seams around a center beam. I probably could have done it with a taller ladder (I only had a 6') but found it much more comfortable to stand and move around on the top of a platform when completing that job. The scaffold also helped when repainting where the ceiling met the wall but was not really needed for that task. Used the rails off a second scaffold (everything but the platform) for safety.

A ladder would probably be preferable for the other tasks, since it is so much easier to move around and store for later.

 

10' ladder.

 

Field work means adjusting yourself since structure will not. Example, if you have to be within 18" to see, bad eyes?, you have to. Then get the ladder that will allow you. Maybe compensate with bright light? Such as strap lamp around head, one that can adjust the angle. But sometimes stretching means stretching, otherwise having 2-3 ladders which is impractical but sometimes needed. Also my 10' step ladder needs more room when open. I bought it used and about time I threw it out. Get good ladder.

 

The 18" is just a ball park of what I would consider convenient height. The example that I gave was a 9' podium ladder with the platform at 5'9". Standing on a 5'9" platform with me being 5'9" tall that will put the top of my head right against the ceiling. If you are painting the ceiling or hanging a light fixture you wouldn't want your head to be touching the ceiling. That would be too high and that's a 9' ladder. That's why I am confused when so many recommended a 10' ladder. A 10' ladder will have the top work platform 1'6" below the ceiling. If I am wiring something I would be standing at a lower rung to work, that means I will be about at eye level with that work platform, so nuts and bolts and screws and bits in a slightly depressed well on the work platform I will have to get higher to look down to see. I am not getting the 10' ladder it seems would be way high.

 

I guess my meaning was nothing is perfect. Trying to remember what it was like with me, I think I preferred lower and more field of vision than close up. If overhead, resting my arms more. I don't think you can do better work overhead closer you are to it.
For painting 12' ceiling, how about diy make a platform? When I needed it, I used 1x4, I think, furring strips and used drywall screws on joints. I think highest was about 8'? 2" cast wheels. I used same strips for floor joists too, on flat, and one cracked. Taking time and just push the platform as needed. Use the extensions and 3' high platform should be enough. I would not use wheels unless you are very conscious about locking them. Ceilings, I can do corners with rollers too with good result. There are brushes with longer handle. If platform, at least 24" wide. Narrower, it can tip just standing on the edge.

 

10' stepladders are too big, and bulky to easily move around. an 8' would be perfect, but a 6' would work as well. I use a 6' for 12' ceilings, myself, but only because I dotn keep an 8' in my work van, 8' is the perfect height though.

 

How do you reach a 12' ceiling with a 6' ladder do you stand on the highest rung with nothing to steady yourself with? If you are holding a drill with one hand a screw with another and a piece of lumber or a ceiling fan body with "the third hand" you can get hurt!

 

How do you reach a 12' ceiling with a 6' ladder do you stand on the highest rung with nothing to steady yourself with?

A 6' tall person with a 2' reach can stand on the 2nd step from the top, and still reach a 12' ceiling.

If you are holding a drill with one hand a screw with another and a piece of lumber or a ceiling fan body with "the third hand" you can get hurt!

You put the screw on the driver bit and slide the guide sleeve up to keep it straight, then pick up the board...or start the screw into the board first. In any case, if you need to use both hands, no matter the height of the ladder, you still can't hold onto the ladder (unless you actually have that 3rd hand).

Most ceiling fans have hook or hanger, so that you don't have to hold it up while you put the screws in. Last one I did didn't have any screws to attach or secure the fan body. The bracket had a cradle for the lug on the body, where all I had to do was lift it up, drop it in, and connect the wires.

 

I would get the 8’ ladder and I am over 6’ tall. I can reach 8’ without a ladder but I can’t work at 8’ without one. A 10’ ladder is too hard to maneuver through doorways for interior use if a shorter ladder will work. And a 10’ ladder spreads wider, limiting its uses. It depends on your height and reach.

 

I just installed recessed lights and a ceiling fan in my 10' ceiling bedroom with a 6' ladder. I did lights in the 10.5' garage too. It did the job just fine. If I had to reach more than a square foot of ceiling at a time, I'd want another rung though... ladder positioning is pretty critical. Also have to bend down to get to screws that are staged on the top platform thing.

I also snagged a Werner Multi-Max Pro at a garage sale to get to the roof and 12' ceiling in living room. Makes an 8' A frame which is perfect for the living room. It also makes an extension ladder, half of it actually has an extension thing with rope, and it has adjustable feet for uneven surface. The work surface thing is nice to put tools on. I hate it. It's friggin heavy and there's no easy way to carry it. The tubular steps are terrible to stand on for any amount of time. But when I need a taller ladder it does the trick. It's a very solid ladder though. The 6' aluminum ladder is flimsy by comparison.

 

This year, I bought a 6ft , 8ft, 10ft, 12ft, & 16ft ladder.

Use the right sized ladder for the job, because if you over reach you'll die.

Why not buy both, and then decide which one to return.

And if you can't afford both, buy used on marketplace or Craigslist.

 

It's a bit tricky for me.

Not an issue of affordability, the issue is more of portability and storage.

I have four 6' step ladders, three multi-position adjustable ladders that can be up to 6' step or up to 12' extension ladders, and I have two 16' extension ladders that collapses to 8'. I have have two 4' step ladders. They are scattered amongst different properties I owned and I try to avoid having to carry a ladder from property A to property B just to do a simple chore like replacing some E26 bulbs of a ceiling fan. So far all these properties have 8' ceiling and with a 12' ceiling (actually 11' 6") none of these ladders will work.

I am trying to get one that will do most of the chores near or at the ceiling.

I am going to move into this condo for may be 6 months while I have a major renovation going on at the current house. After that I may sell it or rent it out, not sure yet.

The storage issue is the living areas have 12' ceiling but the closets have 9' ceilings because the AC ducts, vents and sprinkler piping run through the closet overhead space. Unless I want to store a ladder in the living or dining room, a 10' will be a problem to store in the closet.

The other issue with getting a 10' ladder is the elevator has a 8.5' ceiling. Can I even fit a 10' ladder inside the elevator may have to put it diagonally...if not I have to carry it up five flights of stairs.

Plus I know a 10' is heavier and harder to move around.

Seems like an adjustable multi-position 10' that collapses is a good solution. I have two of these but only up to 6' step ladders and I don't use them much because they are heavier, and the rungs are round and not fun to stand on for a long period of time, they are great to collapse and store though.

I am debating on the 8' Little Giant King Kombo ladder that can also be used as a ladder to lean against walls and can work on inside and outside corners too with cushion wedges.

Little Giant® King Kombo™ Fiberglass Ladder - 8' H-9945 - Uline

Triple threat. This does it all for painters, electricians and contractors. Easily rotate between step, extension and leaning ladders. Wall pad leans flat or grips corners. Non-conductive fiberglass rails. Slip-resistant 3" steps. ULINE offers over 43,000 boxes, plastic poly bags, mailing tubes...

www.uline.com

 

At 31lbs, that is a light weight. I may get it myself, though I don't see a cross brace? Simple is best, usually.