The Different Types of Ladders and Their Uses

Many different types of ladders exist, each with their own particular qualities. These qualities make the ladder option you choose completely different from one another. Focussing on what you want to use your ladders for and choosing the best ladder for the job is incredibly important, not only to save you money and/or the hassle of returning ladders that aren’t fit for purpose, but also to ensure your own safety.

In this article, we’ll explore some of the different types of ladders, as well as their specific uses so that you choose the right one for your particular needs.

Whether you need a flexible use ladder or one for an extensive task such as working at height, BPS can provide you with the right ladder for your needs to help you put your safety first.

Choosing the right ladder for the job

Below we’ll cover a variety of ladder types, but in order to pick the right one for you, you’ll need to focus on their uses. Whilst we’ll cover general info below, when it comes time for you to actually pick the ladder you need, you’ll need to focus on product specific info to ensure you pick the perfect ladder for you.

Pay attention to things like duty ratings (a duty rating tells you the maximum weight capacity of the ladder), material (non conductive materials like wood would be preferable when dealing with electrical sources, changing lightbulbs, etc), and other factors that directly impact how and when you would use your new ladder.

Our point is, our general guide below will give you a better idea about the type of ladder you need, but you’ll need to do product research to ensure the actual ladder you select is right for the job.

What are the different types of ladders? 

There are so many ladder types out there that we couldn’t possibly cover them all below. To make things easier, we also won’t be focussing on different materials either. Wooden ladders and metal ladders, for example, won’t be discussed. Other factors such as straight ladder vs leaning ladder, etc won’t be considered either. Instead the different functions of ladders will be focussed on – such as step ladder vs combination ladder, and so on.

Below we’ll cover a wide range of ladder types and their uses to help you pick out the best one for your task.

Step Ladders

Step-ladders’ main difference from a standard ladder is they are designed to create a stable ladder that doesn’t require being propped up against anything. So long as there is no uneven ground, it will be steady. Stepladders offer their balance by essentially being two ladders attached to a hinge. This means it can be propped up in an A shape, allowing you to do any straightforward work that requires you to work at an elevated height.

Pros: 

• Stability: By having its balancing system, you can set it up anywhere where there’s level, hard ground without fear of it tipping over or shifting.
• Convenience: Step-ladders are portable, usually not overly large, and easy to store and transport.  
• Accessibility: Step-ladders are compact so can be used in most situations even if you are working in an area with limited space. 

Uses: 

• Household Tasks: Due to the portability and small size of most stepladders, they are suitable for indoor work. Examples of this include painting the upper ends of walls, or maybe fixing things such as lights or other high up fixtures. 
• Commercial: A step ladder can be used in commercial settings, such as in retail stores when a worker needs to restock a shelf or reach a higher area. 
• Garden: For areas in the garden that require elevation but also have firm, level ground, a stepladder can easily be used. You may want to prune some trees, for instance, or reach a high-hanging basket. 

Extension Ladder

An extension ladder’s main function is self-explanatory, but typically, they are divided into several sections that slide out of each other to create a much bigger ladder. While limited in terms of flexibility, they are perfect for you to access those hard-to-reach areas. 

Pros: 

• Heights: The average extension ladder is 16 feet tall retracted, and 40 feet tall extended. This reaches the roof of the average two-storey house in the UK.
• Slip resistant: Extension ladders, due to putting their user at a high altitude, come with friction promoting, slip resistant, wide treads to help you feel secure. 
• Transportable: Due to the possibility of retracting it to a compact size, extension ladders are fairly easy to move.

Uses:

• Roofing: These ladders are often used to reach roofs. Usually, there’s some sort of accessory involved that holds tools. This allows DIYers to do their work with increased productivity. 
• Painting: When painting the exterior of houses, you have to reach the second story without using stairs. Extension ladders fill this role. 
• Window Cleaning: Most window cleaners use extension ladders to reach second-story windows, often with their buckets and sprays hanging. 

Platform Ladders

Platform Ladders are named this way due to the platform that makes up the top step. The platform is usually large and flat, offering a secure and stable place to stand when operating at height. 

Pros: 

• Stability: Platform ladders are about as stable as ladders can get. Most of them come with a rail to hold and lean against. The platform and the steps are both slip resistant. 
• Comfortable: Being on a ladder for a long time whilst doing labour-intensive work can make you feel tired and unmotivated, especially as you climb back up the ladder for the umpteenth time. With a platform ladder, you can stand, taking the strain off the rest of your body. 

Uses: 

• Big Home Improvement Projects: For example, painting an entire outside wall. If a platform ladder is high enough, it can be used instead of an extension ladder, due to the comfort and safety offered by platform ladders. 
• Two Hands: The platform ladder allows you to free both of your hands and do more trickier tasks that require a bit of dexterity with both hands, for example, changing light bulbs, repairing fixtures etc. 

Multi-position ladders

Multi-position ladders are very versatile in that they can be configured to transform into three different types of structures. Multi-position ladders are also known as combination ladders, a folding ladder, or multi purpose ladders. The three different forms are:

• Step Ladder
• Extension Ladder
• Scaffolds

Unlike step ladders, scaffolds, and extension ladders, though, a multi-position ladder is a jack of all trades, bringing the best bits of all of them along with it.

Pros:

• Adjustable: The multi-position ladder isn’t just extendible in its “extension ladder” form, but also in its step ladder and scaffold form. This gives you the ability to reach even higher areas. 
• Lightweight: Despite having so much material packed into one tool, it remains lightweight and highly portable.  
• Value: Due to having so much customisability and so many uses, your one-time purchase will count as several. Not to mention less space will be taken up for all the functions it offers. 

Uses: 

• Home Improvement: Whether through painting or installing new equipment or decoration, the many configurations of the multi-position ladder can not only allow you to reach what you need to, but do it in a variety of ways. For example, using the scaffold mode whilst painting is ideal because of the horizontal freedom you get. 
• Commercial: Workers such as painters, maintenance and engineers often use multi-purpose ladders so that they do not need access to an arsenal of them. This allows them to travel light and have all of their tools in one place. This is especially useful in cases where you don’t know exactly what you’ll need.

It is important to note than when using any of the ladders we have outlined here that you should follow proper safety procedures. This includes the three-point-of-contact rule, to maximise your safety.

Trestle ladders

A trestle ladder is unique in that it’s designed to be self supporting for two people at the same time. The ladder can be used by two people at once on opposite sides, and is designed to support both of them safely, allowing for any jobs to be done much quicker.

Pros:

• Dual Use: Having a ladder that can be used by two people at once is a huge benefit for anybody completing a task that requires support from another person.
• Strong Support: Although it might sound quite unsafe, provided the ladder is being used on a stable base where all four side rails are level, then their design allows for an incredibly strong base provided the users are keeping three points of contact at all times and using the ladder safely.

Uses:

• Home Projects For Two: Some tasks are just made simpler with a second person, and rather than having to use two ladders to get the job done, a trestle ladder allows for two people to work at the same height at the same time, with increased safety features.
• Commercial Projects For Two: Plenty of work-related tasks are easier when there’s two people completing it at the same time, too. Trestle ladders are often favoured by commercial painters, cleaners, decorators, etc. This also saves on storage space in vans etc because less ladders are required.

Telescopic ladders

A telescopic ladder, also known as a telescoping ladder, is a form of extension ladder, only they’re designed with space saving in mind. That’s because, just like a telescope, all of the rungs on the ladder are designed to collapse in on themselves when not in use for improved storage.

Pros:

• Storage Space: Keeping a ladder at home or in the workplace is cumbersome, there’s no denying that, and they’ll often feel as though they’re in the way. But with a telescopic ladder, this problem goes away because they collapse to such a small size.
• Portability: Not only does their collapsing nature make these ladders easier to store, but they also make them much easier to carry around and fetch from place to place.

Uses:

• Customisable Heights: Because this ladder requires you to extend it at each rung and then lock them into place before use, you can extend the ladder to the height you require, meaning it’s very customisable for a range of projects.

Different Ladder Types and Their Uses Summary

Below is a summary of all the key information in the above article to help you determine which may be right for you.

With the right set-up, pretty much any ladder can be used for any number of things. However, when it comes to extensive or potentially dangerous tasks, it’s usually better to target a specific ladder expressly to complete that task. Choosing the right ladder will not only be safer but will result in higher efficiency and less stress.

Let BPS help you make the right choice today.