How to paint a high ceiling in a stairwell?

The basement stairs to the house has a really high ceiling and it's painted a horrid shade of dirty pink. Even with an extension on a roller, I cannot reach it. And how would I even get into the corners? My tallest ladder is not tall enough and it's scary to contemplate trying to lean the ladder against the back wall setting on one of the steps. How do painters reach a really high ceiling when directly below it are steps leading down? Help!

How do painters do it?

(1) They have longer poles than you.

(2) They have taller ladders. They have "configurable" ladders that can be used to create platforms where one "leg" is shorter than the other (to accommodate the stairs).

Go to the Home Depot and take a look at configurable ladders. They aren't cheap, at about $300. But they do let you create nice scaffolding on the stairs. From there, you can use a shorter pole.

Or, get a longer ladder. Keep in mind that the safest thing you can do is have the bottom of the ladder pushed up against a stair or the wall. Many people don't trust a ladder on stairs, but if it's wedged into the stair, it's not going anywhere.

I have the same situation. And when I'm ready to paint this part of my house, I might pop for a pro. Paint what you can yourself and spend the money on a few specific jobs where you simply cannot do it.

you have to rig some scaffolding or rent...check out the rentals at ace hardware or sherwin williams

Painters use tall extension ladders, and they build scaffolding. You can build a temporary scaffold to fit on the steps out of 2x4's with bigger lumber up top.

I would hire a pro for this job. I've done what the others have said about building a scaffold with ladders and boards. I'm very confident on a ladder(being a fireman and all), but I'm not looking forward to the next time I have to paint the 18' tall ceiling over my stairs again!