Painting high ceilings or hard-to-reach areas is always a challenge. While there are commercial poles available for paint rollers, creating a homemade version of this tool can be both cost-effective and rewarding. In this article, I show you how to do it using EMT (electrical metallic tubing) conduit, which is sturdy, lightweight, and perfect for this DIY project!
EMT (electric metallic tubing) conduit is a type of steel tubing available from most hardware stores, and is typically used for routing electrical wires in buildings, but has also grown in popularity in do-it-yourself (DIY) projects due to its low-cost, strength, and convenience for purchase. Elation Sports Technologies offers a UV-resistant adapter to easily create a telescoping pole from 1/2", 3/4", and 1" sizes of EMT conduit!
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Supplies:
1 x Metal file
(Optional) 1 x Cordless drill
Step 1: Measure and Cut
Decide on the maximum height of your painting pole. For example, if you want a maximum extended length of 12 feet, then each of the three sections of the pole will be four to five feet in length in order to have a bit of overlap between the sections. The bottom section will be a section of 1" size conduit, the middle section will be the 3/4" conduit, and the top will be the 1/2" conduit. Measure 5 feet on each piece of conduit using a tape measure, and mark it. Wearing appropriate safety gear (e.g. safety glasses), cut your conduit pieces at the marked points using a rotary tool cutter. Remove any sharp edges or burrs using a rotary deburring tool, metal file, or Dremel tool where needed.
This is the stage at which you could add spray paint + primer to add some color to the pole before assembling it, if desired! For example, in my EMT conduit curtain rod blog post, I used this black spray paint + primer combo to color the curtain rod.
Step 2: Assemble the Telescoping Portion
These EMT conduit telescoping clamps make it easy to create a telescoping pole out of EMT conduit! They're made of injection-molded UV-resistant and durable plastic which is suitable for outdoor use, and they clamp onto the outside of the conduit - no drilling required!
At this stage, you can add 1-2 hand grips to make the pole easier to grasp. This particular hand grip has a nice feel to it, and is easily installed on to the bottom piece of conduit.
Step 3: Add the Male Threaded Adapter to the Pole
The paint roller attachment and angled attachment I selected for this project each have a 3/4" ACME female thread, which assembles nicely with this male threaded adapter. First, add electrical tape to the end of the pole until the male threaded adapter fits snugly and is centered on the pole. For extra strength of attachment, the adapter has a thru hole which can be used to guide a drill bit, to drill a hole in the pole and secure the adapter using the screw + nut that comes packaged with the adapter.
Step 4: Add Your Painter's Attachment of Choice
To add the the paint roller or angled brush holder attachment to your pole, simply twist to mate it with the male threaded adapter. Congratulations, you now have a DIY extendable pole for a paint roller attachment made out of EMT conduit! This is not only a cost-effective solution but also a customizable one, as you can adjust lengths or features to suit your specific needs. Always exercise caution while using any DIY tools, and happy painting!
Conclusion
In this post, I shared how you can build your own extendable painting pole using EMT conduit! The telescoping couplings used for this project are available for purchase from Elation Sports Technologies:
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Elation Sports Technologies LLC offers mechanical and electrical engineering design consulting. I'd be happy to discuss your project's needs to see how we may assist you - simply reach out to schedule a chat.
Thanks for reading!
Austin Allen
Founder and Owner
Elation Sports Technologies LLC
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