First time I put on a pair of stilts was about 20 years ago. My girlfriend and I were working on an overnight job installing hardwood floors in a mall. The wallpaper guys had left their stilts, as well as a bunch of cardboard cores from their wallpaper rolls. So during our lunch break her and I put on the stilts, grab the cardboard rolls, and proceeded to run around the place sword fighting. The stupidity of youth never fails to amuse.
I'm a tile guy and will probably never work off stilts but for whatever reason I've been watching a lot of these videos on drywall. Good videos 👍🏼 informative.
I’ve been using dura stilts for years. The amount you time you save is unparalleled. I hardly use a ladder for anything anymore, I use my stilts for almost every aspect of my construction company when needed, drywall, painting, siding, even gutters, I use stilts for everything. Yes there is the potential for injury, but if you’re new to using stilts then you need to spend atleast a week walking around on them every day, just getting used to them. But stilts are the way to go, and when you know what you’re doing the risk is minimal. Yes the videos he showed will scare you if you don’t know what you’re doing. But once you have a couple of years of experience under your belt using stilts, then those tasks look less intimidating.
I'm new to stilts and I still feel like I'm wobbling all over the place... kind of buckling out at the top. Is this a feeling that goes away, or am I doing something wrong? Thanks in advance if you end up answering 😊
@@shannond2707 it goes away. Get on the stilts every day for shot 30 minutes or so. After a week or this the wobbly feeling will go away and you’ll feel more comfortable
I am in healthcare and have treated many injuries from tradespeople. Can’t think of one drywaller I saw with a stilt injury. That being said stilts, like you pointed out are dangerous. The videos of others on super stilts or stilts on platforms or stilts bolted to buckets are just insane! Darwin at work. A friend of the family is just about 80 and still drywalling (muddling and taping only for the last 15 years). He did our entire ceiling a few years ago on stilts. I would endorse your position of just say no to stilts with the caveat that even walking on even ground you can fall. Know yourself and the risks and make an informed decision.
I'm drywalling my nearly 1000 sq. ft. garage. I thought about stilts. But I'm in my 70's and my balance is as good as it was. So I'm up and down and up and down a step ladder with big wide secure steps. Takes much longer, but one of my primary safety techniques is, "If you have a bad feeling about something, stop, and think it over some more." It's actually quite common when people have accidents that they say "I had a bad feeling about what I was trying to do."
@@NuttedInYoMom Actually, most of the drywall ceiling pieces (5/8" thick) had been put up 20 years ago by the contractor who built the garage addition. (They put it up by accident, they were suppose to leave the garage without drywall - and these ceiling pieces were all that I had to start with.) But it was done sloppy, with nails, and nails pulling out and some pieces sagging some. I'm putting in screws everywhere and pulling out the loose nails and then filling joints, taping, and so on. Part of the ceiling, however, is a sort of triangular area that has a mostly open ceiling area with no joists. I plan to add joists and than drywall. I might rent a lift. Or I might do one of the schemes where you nail up a little ledge to hold one end, lift the other, and then slip a T support under it. I'm not even sure there will be any full sheets involved.
And how many shoulder injuries from working overhead? When you have shoulder issues and the risk of injury is great it's likely to offset the risk of injuries from a fall.
Stilts always make me think back to when I did commercial HVAC installs on new construction: One morning the job super was walking around with 4 or 5 Gatorade bottles, each about half-full, and he was cursing under his breath. Apparently the drywall installers on stilts didn't feel like getting down to use the bathroom, and they'd leave the used bottles laying around the jobsite instead of throwing them out.
@@goldenhandcuffs I've pissed in a bottle plenty, hell I've even shit in a bucket once. But I didn't leave it sitting on the job site after I was done.
I like to strap my stilts with the buckle on the the calf cup. This keeps from pinching. I also bring the extra length back through the buckle to insure a tight hold.
I've been walkin stilts nearly 40yrs, and I've seen a lot of crazy shit, but bolting them to 5gal buckets and walkin pick boards with'em is askin for a lot of pain 😂.
Yup. When I was learning, I did laps around the room, staying within touching distance of the walls. Thirty years later and I'm getting the hang of them. Seriously, I'm pretty good on them and have not fallen (knock wood) but I would never recommend them to anyone who is not doing drywall for a living.
Im 5'6", so everything is beyond my reach🤷🏾♂️🤷♂️, so getting stilts at 40 years old was my best decision. It helps me painting and finishing. I use them every opportunity I can. At the beginning it was scarry but you get used to it and it saves my knees from going up and down ladders. I also recommend using velcro straps.
I use stilts often and they help a ton. Though when I'm wearing them I really ought to walk backward less, climb ladders less, work in cluttered spaces less. Pretty much everything you said that is bad to do with stilts on I occasionally find myself doing. I wear my skate helmet when I adjust above the lowest height. Haven't fallen yet.
Spent over 30 years on stilts all day every day. Rule One - DuraStilts or no stilts. The other brands will get you killed. Rule Two - You fall once and you've learned all you ever need to know. Rule 3 - If your feet are above 42 inches, you are technically required to have fall protection. This is why stilts only go to 40 inches which allows for a 2 inch boot heel. Any higher will get you tossed off a serious site.
I've used stilts in taping new construction for 34 years. I agree with much of what you said. I usually don't use stilts when ceilings are over 9 ft high, and being 5'7" in height, I need to set my stilts at 3 ft height, and get on stilts from a platform or a horse. I learned from using stilts at 45" (and falling on the dismount), that you have to plan on how to get off the stilts once you've gotten on them. I agree with the pratice of strapping the legs first, and unstrapping them last. When I get on stilts above 2 ft and use a platform, I also get off the stilts by standing in front of the platform and backing off the stilts, in reverse of how I got onto them. I lean on a wall when I get on stilts at 24" or higher. It's also important to adjust the heel brackets, height of the leg braces, and especially the angle of the leg braces. Bad adjustment can cause the stilts to feel uncomfortable and put pressure on one side of the foot. For me, as a piece-worker, it's just not worth it to tape without stilts, and the Dura Stilt brand is as good as they get.
When I was a little kid my father made me a pair of stilts from some 2x4 lumber. I had lots of fun on them. They were much longer than drywaller's stilts so I could hold onto the top part of the stilts--they extended up above shoulder height. I was only a foot or so up off the ground, but I felt like a giant.
I got a job doing metal framing once. The guy asked me if I ever walked on stilts, I said no. He hands me a pair and said well you’re gunna learn. I’m about 5 minutes I was running climbing steps jumping going up and down a ladder on them. They really are no different than walking. Construction stilts are moth like circus stilts. Construction stilts are designed to be like walking with your real legs only extending the bottom of your leg
I bought stilts as a homeowner to finish my basement about 6years ago and loved using them. They are Skywalker by Marshalltown 18”-30” with a 225lb max weight. Found them very easy to get used to working in. I always tried to use a wall or corner to take them on or off.
I got a set a few years ago. I completely agree, never recommended that anyone gets them, but they are the greatest time saver out there & not too hard to learn. Just keep the floor spotless & never walk backwards.
I will never use stilts, I don't have to fix any walls, I don't work with drywall but I keep watching every video you put out :D i just like watching you
I love my stilts and use them on almost every job. Durastilt are the best mine are 24/40s. I'm 6'4'' tall and weight 270lbs and have never had a problem👍
That’s what I’m trying to figure out myself right now. I weigh 270 and just bought some stilts. I’m just hoping my stilts won’t break under my weight and that I can actually balance on them.
Really good video,says it all.I do dry wall on a part time basis .Have worked off stilts on the odd occasion.Lending a pair of stilts,but i do not own a pair.One i did not feel over safe on them,did make me faster in wide open spaces. Not doing enough new homes,to make the purchase worthwhile.You are right you must be organised and focused ,no untidy work areas.
My next door neighbor bought a pair to use for a Halloween costume. He told me he had gotten the most heavy duty type available. I asked to borrow them to skim coat a ceiling I was working on. It was like tying cinder blocks on my feet! I gave up after 45 minutes. My suggestion is to get the lightest and most flexible pair you can find if you must buy a pair.
Again! The dry humor cracking me up! 'Are stilts really safe? Well, not really, if you fall'. LMAO! But the question, can you afford to fall an injure yourself? Really important to ask yourself that and be honest when answering. I was thinking about them because ladders aggravate my Achilles tendinitis, but I'd rather that than injury due to a fall. Thank you for the, yet again, informative, honest and entertaining video.
I saw videos of workers walking on a 5 gallon bucket, shuffling around the room. If they start to fall, they just jump off. Sometimes 2 buckets for higher ceilings.
I am not in construction but always enjoy and learn something from your videos. I was cracking up while you were messing with those straps and buckles. I have a couple of things that have those type of connections and they always take me a few tries before I get them right. Now I don't feel so bad.
I had 600 square feet of garage ceiling to redo drywall, which meant 2 layers of 5/8" sheet rock. I got a drywall lift, a set of stilts and a cheap taping banjo. Best investments of my life. Oh, and I am only 5'4". And the garage was a total cluttered mess. No falls so no problems. The stilts and the banjo made it really easy.
Stilts are like many dangerous activities. You learn how to do it before you are thirty or not at all. Skiing, rock climbing, rugby, etc. You make your mistakes when your body can recover easily.
I saw some drywall video on RU-vid where the guy is standing on what seems to be an empty typical drywall compound bucket. And the way he moved around was to shift his balance and kind of rotate the bucket a little. What was amazing, was that he was so good at it and could move around pretty quickly. But probably not a very safe way to do things.
Thank you for helping me make up my mind weather to get some or not. I'm normally a risk taker, but I'm 64 years old and my conscience is telling me (Don;t do it!). Love your choice of background music also.
I wore stilts as I was a plasterer. Never fell, did stumble couple of times, but you learn to stop your self. The main thing is keeping area clear of equipment, people and leads
Stilts are a must for a residental taper that tapes everyday and stilts are legal but you are to take a stilts course and have a ticket but if you drywall tape once and a while dont bother with them and dont tape off a ladder you cant have three points when taping off a ladder use benches.
Don't sell yourself short. I do general construction/industrial work, but I've also been studying coding and game design for shits and giggles and let me tell you: I'd rather deal with twelve tons of structural steel than bug hunting through my own half-assed algorithm any old day. It's a different kind of hard, but it's still hard.
I have done a lot of software development (and a manager of it, too) and from so much time at the keyboard started to develop a horrible pain in one shoulder. Had to go to a sports therapist for exercises to resolve it. But it was worth it considering software development is one of only two real growth careers still available. The other being pizza delivery.
@@trainliker100 You would probably have more problems than that if you were doing physical labor every day. However, white collar jobs have their problems too. Namely, you are sitting around all the time, so, you end up having heart and other problems due to lack of movement.
I’ve been hanging drywall for 10 years and I’ve done my fare share of sketchy risky moves; but those stilts on an aluminum plank over the entrance hall made me choke and had to do a reality check. If you ever have to work above 10 feet or 3 meters you need to rent and set up a scaffold or build a floor. Always build a floor with 2x6’s and thick plywood.
The brand means quality i do drywall more then 10 years bought my durastils still working perfectly ( just replaced the bottom “ shoes” straps ) 350 dls tool but in my opinion those 120 dls stilts are dangerous i seen the adjustment bolts come out and the owner on the floor even new 20 minutes later make the noise like old wheelbarrow, one mistake here , never tie up the straps on the middle of the legs always on the curve metal if you’re like here the straps kill your legs and get lose quickly.
You should have wish you were here playing in the background. Since most watching wishes you were doing there job or my job. I’m almost done with mine Thanks for the videos
A local drywall guy has stilts probably at least eight feet tall. He wears them in parades. I am not sure if he has actually used them that tall on any jobs?
Stilts are safe,used them as a plasterer in the UK on site price work and never fell in off in ten years. We used to use 5 gallon drums and scaffold planks before stilts and fell off every day !
Love the video! I was actually thinking about getting a pair of stilts. I do drywall(mostly drywall repair) out here in Las Vegas, NV and have come across some jobs where the stilts would have come in handy. 1 thing I noticed, was how you were pulling your tape, and collecting it in a 5 gallon bucket. At Home Depot, they have this "professional tape dispenser", that you fill with mud, and your tape pulls out with mud on it. So instead of what you were doing by collecting it in a 5 gallon bucket, this tool would sit at your waist(like the 5 gallon bucket), and then you could just pull tape as needed. Just my 2 cents. Lol
@Vancouver Carpenter. Great information and production. Your taping, mudding, and music really put me in the mood to get something done today, even if it's not drywalling (although I've got a drywall repair underway and I'm really taking my time). Not as experienced as you with but I've got you as a teacher. And no, I'll not be buying or borrowing stilts, period I like how you put some short video clips showing how insane some people are when on stilts like workers wearing stilts on a high work platform. A good number of years ago, I had to "fix" a bad tape job (definite bow in a wall next to the top of my stairway). The worst part was I also had to paint the walls along and ceiling above these stairs. I used two 2X10s to make a scaffold and of course there was quite a bit of bowing when standing in the center. I'll be definitely paying someone else to do that in the future. Hope you and your family stay safe and well.
I bought a pair of stilts 10 to 12 years ago after going down the wrong side of a 2' ladder for the third time in one day I use them all the time from drywall, drop ceilings, crown molding and painting. I put all my tools needed on my 6' ladder so I dont have to get thing off the floor
Holey sheets! Those guys are insane!!! Bucket feet?! Really?! Walking the plank?! I'm surprised you didn't find tapers, on stilts, boarding around the jobsite! I did seeing someone mudding a ceiling on a segway hoverboard; but at least no stilts...
I get a lot of tools but i cant afford ever falling again so no way. Ill drag my 4 ft ladder around. Thanks Ben was thinking about these but had a bad feeling...
There the most comfortable. You should adjust your top strap to where the buckle is sitting on the metal instead of your calf. It’s a lot more comfortable and secure. I promise you you will feel a huge difference
I'm a retired safety professional. I have a collection of the type of videos like the guy using stilts on a narrow plank two stories up. I used to show them in my training classes. The file name is "Darwin Awards".
Walking on stilts is an art. Some people can learn it and some can't. Ive seen people on four foot stilts pick up tools of the ground. Personally I can't move away from the wall. But they're great when needed if you can use them.
Stilts are easier to learn than riding a bike, can be picked up at any local pawnshop for $40. Slipping on mud is a pita. Aren't they illegal in Ontario? I know Manitoba has had rumour now for 10 years, to which I think pcl doesn't allow them
I've been walking leg irons for 22yrs,I fallen 4 times,and nothing broke, but I've seen a few doozies awell.Stilts save time,stay safe and always remember "A lil mud and a little paint makes a hanger what he ain't.
I've done everything you showed in your videos with exception to the buckets i go up and down ladders etc in all my years as an insulator I've only fallen once... also when your calf straps wear out you can tape them to your legs.
I got used to them really easy and have a few pairs but the longest ones are hard on the legs and would be a long way down .like you say tho ,most important part is a clear clean even floor
Overhere (the netherlands) these stilts are forbidden by the health and safety services. They are still used by some professions, but not by drywallers. Some fruit- and vegetablepickers and painters will use them. It is known that when these people get an injury, due to these still, the insurance will not payout anything.
When I was working for a commercial company I was always amazed by the guys the double stilt. I saw a guy fall on double stilts once and it was like the slowest fall ever. He was alright but I couldn't help but think how nuts he was
Used a pair for several years back when I was doing piecework. They made the overhead part of the plumbing job go much faster. I do agree, though. I would never recommend that someone else get them, the risk is rather high.
We used to take two pairs of durastilts and cut the feet off of one pair and use them to extend them up to about 50”. I did make pants legs for them and dressed as a clown and took the kids trick r treating back in the 90’s. The kids complained because many of the people wanted to take a picture.
Oven been using stilts for close to a decade. But I always put then on against a wall. I feel an injury would more likely occur when putting them on or taking them off.
I just learned how to use stilts a week ago and now I use them to paint the ceiling lines, mask, caulk and spray ceilings that are a little high and my boss gave me a raise, yes I am aware that there's potential for injury but it's part of the job, I also climb ladders anywhere from 4ft to 32ft, you can't complain it's part of the job, if you don't want to climb than they'll tell you that that's not the job for you, that's what they told some new guy but he was too lazy anyway and stilts are optional.
I like the tape in the bucket idea. I have never tried that although I have seen it done. I guess I thought that it would be to messy. I have work on stilts but not for many years.
My dad has a set, I remember watching him as a kid on jobs using them. I thought he was crazy, I don't know if I would ever get up on a set of those things. I would probably be more inclined to take my time and use scaffolding of some sort.
Question - How do I skim coat over a skip trowel texture? I've sanded and sanded and mudded and mudded and the "veins" of the old texture keep showing up when I skim coat. I used thicker mud and watery mud, I've done your roller method and applied gobs with a knife and pan. I little advice would be nice. Thanks.
I used to work in modular building construction and saw a drywaller step into a 12" x12" floor penetration. The module was cribbed up about 3 and a half feet in the air, well guess what happened when he stepped into the floor penetration, down he went broke his leg in multiple places and received a groin injury. Think about that before you try them stilts nuff said.
