Project of a Lifetime – Ladders Required!
Scaffold Towers and Industrial Ladders are what you Need Here! Restoration and self-build programmes are very in at the moment, in fact it seems the ever popular Grand Designs has been on air for as long as living memory extends! The fascination with these shows comes from the fact that many people hold the dream of one day building their own home, or renovating an interesting building. By watching other people struggling and eventually finishing the project people can get inspired, motivated or even put off the idea completely! Either way, we all know how much work is involved just re-tiling a bathroom, so the fact that people triumph in building [...]
Work Platforms – What Are They and Why Might they Be Useful?
Work Platforms - Useful? Work platforms are like mini scaffolding kits. They provide a multi-level stable platform from which to carry out repair and maintenance tasks such as painting, repointing brickwork, pruning hedges and putting up shelves. Because they are freestanding and often designed with wide stabilising bars at the base they are safe to use on softer ground and easy to get level on uneven ground. They often also have a higher maximum load rating than conventional ladders, which is useful for heavier people, and for tasks that need a lot of equipment and tools. Work platforms are used by professionals and DIYers alike because the large working area and [...]
A Ladder of Kindness
When Hurricane Sandy hit the USA many people had to be evacuated from their homes, but the rescue vehicles used by Atlantic County, New Jersey, had a rear deck 62 inches high, making it difficult to get people in and out without any access equipment. Enterprising Scout, Ethan Roswell, of the Galloway Township troop saw the need for some kind of portable ladder to address the situation and drafted in his fellow scouts to help. Together, Roswell, 18, and his friends spent five months designing, fundraising and building twelve custom-made ladders for each of the rescue trucks. They secured donations of materials, sought approval for their design and even built the [...]
Charlie Brouwer Climbs Ladders Again
Artist Charlie Brouwer has been featured in this blog before: he's the artist that creates installations and community art projects using donated ladders. He has been touring the USA as part of his 'Rising Together' series, which sees him visiting different towns and cities to create ladder-based artwork for the community. Brouwer's installations are temporary: with all the ladders being donated by the local residents he can't leave the sculpture in place forever, because people need their ladders back! Brouwer is in Bluefield, Virginia, for the latest and tenth iteration of 'Rising Together' and has been donated all kinds of ladders from a bathroom step stool to a birdcage ladder. Those [...]
What Do a Frog and a Gorilla Have in Common – Ladders?
Yes, you guessed it, they both use ladders. Frogs and toads in Scotland are being provided with ladders in gulley pots to help them escape from roadside drainage systems. The vertical sides of the structure make it impossible for amphibians to climb out if they are washed in and they die a slow death. Along with roadkill, these gulley pots have been identified as the major causes of avoidable deaths in the dwindling population of Scottish frogs and toads, so it is hoped that their falling numbers can be helped by the installation of escape ladders. The escape ladders in the drainage system have been custom built for the frogs, but [...]
Ladder News Round Up
We all love animals on ladders, and maybe some of you have even seen cat ladders built outside homes and flats to allow our feline friends access to the outdoors? They are becoming more popular and one Newcastle based kitty is loving his. The unusually named Jinx Ragnar Trappistini La Bonche (or Jinx for short) has his very own cat ladder giving him a route outdoors. The owners are circus performers, so Jinx knows a few tricks of his own and at just 18 months he seems to be the master of the cat ladder! Over in America one poor moggy was not so enamoured with heights. The tiny kitten was [...]
Last Minute Roof Maintenance
We’ve had a dry summer and the good weather was largely extended into the Autumn months, so now is the perfect time to get any last minute roof and external maintenance done before the weather turns and becomes dangerous for ladder users. Time to Get Organised Gutter clearing, window repairs and roof maintenance are a few of the jobs that need doing before the winter; a leaking roof or missing tile might not pose a problem in the summer, but leaving that problem over the winter will ensure you have a larger and more costly repair to do come spring. Therefore, it is a good idea to make a list of [...]
Platform Step Ladders – The Most User Friendly
Platform step ladders are often used in warehouses, retail outlets and offices or schools where there are large archive rooms for paperwork and other records. This type of step ladder is favoured over the type without a platform, as the platform provides a safer, more comfortable base on which to stand while carrying out the tasks at hand. They are also ideal for painting and decorating – in fact any jobs that require you to be up a ladder for any extended period of time. The Summit range of platform step ladders has been designed with the trade, commercial and retail sectors in mind and feature double handrails and a platform [...]
Why You Can Buy With Confidence from Midland Ladders
The Midland Ladder Company is a family business established in 1965 and for nearly fifty years we have built a reputation for great service and products. When we started out all those years ago we primarily served Birmingham and the Midlands, but as our reputation grew, so did the business and we expanded to cover the whole country, based from our warehouse conveniently located minutes from the M5, M4, M40 and M42. Although we offer free next day delivery in the UK mainland, you can still collect your order from us if you prefer and we are on hand on the phone if you need to speak to one of our [...]
Brouwer’s Got More Ladders!
We're starting to get a real soft spot for artist Charlie Brouwer: he's the one who does the ladder sculptures made up of donated and borrowed ladders from the community in which the installation stands. This time he is in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where he took part in a sculpture competition in both 1990 and 1993. Brouwer returns alone to stage the next iteration of his 'Rise Up' series in which he travels to different cities and towns across America, borrowing ladders from the community in order to construct a temporary sculpture where everyone who donates can see their crucial part in creating the artwork. Brouwer used to find working with galleries [...]
