A carpenter friend of mine doesn’t have any trouble reaching a typical ceiling when he needs to install insulation, tape drywall, or nail on the crown moldings. As shown in the drawing, he uses drywall screws to affix a pair of old work shoes to the bottoms of a couple of empty joint-compound buckets. The shoes are screwed around the perimeters of the soles, through the bottom of the bucket and into a piece of wood backing.
The bucket boots add about 15 in. to your height, and they are surprisingly stable. One drawback is that you must step through narrow doorways one foot at a time when wearing the big feet.
Stephen M. Kennedy, Orrtanna, PA
