Oasis Painters of Salt Lake City
- 2384 S W Temple St, Salt Lake City, UT 84115
- Locally owned & operated — not a franchise
Painters in Salt Lake City
If you’re searching for painters in Salt Lake City, you’re probably looking at a house with some history behind it. Roughly two-thirds of the city’s housing was built before 1980, and about a quarter of it predates 1940: brick Victorians in the Avenues, bungalows in Liberty Wells and Sugar House, post-war ramblers in Rose Park and Glendale.
Oasis Painters is based at 2384 S West Temple in South Salt Lake, a few minutes below the 2100 South city line. We paint interiors and exteriors across Salt Lake City, and we’ve learned what this valley’s sun, snow and old houses ask of a paint job.
What Salt Lake City homes ask of a painter
Salt Lake City has the oldest housing stock on the Wasatch Front, and it changes block by block. The Avenues and Capitol Hill hold 1870s to 1920s brick with painted wood porches, bays and gables. Sugar House, Liberty Wells and 9th and 9th are mostly 1900s to 1940s brick bungalows and Tudors. Rose Park, Glendale and Poplar Grove are 1940s to 1960s ramblers with wood or aluminum trim. Downtown and the Granary are newer townhomes and converted industrial buildings.
The common thread is brick that should stay unpainted, paired with wood that needs repainting every several years. On most of these homes the exterior scope is trim, soffits, fascia, porches, windows and doors rather than the walls. Our exterior painting work is built around that: careful prep on the wood, respect for the masonry.
Painting around the valley's climate
The city sits around 4,300 feet, and the sun up here is not gentle. July highs average 94°F, the July UV index runs about 10.4, and the valley gets more than 3,000 hours of sunshine a year. South- and west-facing walls fade and chalk first, and dark, saturated colors go fastest.
Winter swings the other way. January lows average about 24°F, the city sees roughly 52 inches of snow, and repeated freeze-thaw cycles open up caulk joints and lift paint off bare wood. Multi-day inversions deposit a fine film of particulate on exteriors, which is why we wash before we paint.
Practically, that means an exterior season from mid-April through late October, with May, June, September and early October the sweet spot. Our exterior painting guide covers the timing in detail.
Historic districts, HOAs and who approves your colors
Salt Lake City has fourteen local historic districts, including the Avenues, Capitol Hill, Central City, Yalecrest and South Temple. In those districts most exterior changes need a Certificate of Appropriateness, but paint color itself is exempt. The one firm rule is that historic masonry that has never been painted cannot be painted. National Register-only districts like Forest Dale or Liberty Wells carry no city design review at all.
HOAs are a different layer. Close to half of Salt Lake metro listings carry HOA dues, concentrated in downtown condos and newer townhome projects, and those associations typically control exterior colors and repaint schedules. Pre-1960 single-family blocks almost never have one. We’ll tell you up front which rules apply, whether you’re in the Avenues or a condo downtown.
Thinking about a project in Salt Lake City? Get a clear, written proposal from a local crew.
Why Salt Lake City homeowners choose Oasis Painters
We’re locally owned and operated, not a franchise, and our shop is a short drive from every neighborhood in the city. Here is what that looks like on your project:
- We know the house types. Victorian millwork, bungalow porches and 1950s aluminum trim each get prepped and primed differently.
- Lead-aware prep. Most Salt Lake homes predate 1978, so we plan containment and cleanup for older painted surfaces instead of improvising.
- We time the work to the weather. We watch surface temperatures and the 48-hour forecast, and we won’t push an exterior into a cold snap.
- Clear, written scope. You’ll know which surfaces, how many coats and which products before we start.
- Licensed and insured, with the same crew lead on your job from the first day to the final walk-through.
What to expect from start to finish
It begins with a free consultation at your home. We look at every surface, talk about colors and finishes, and leave you with a written proposal that notes any wood needing repair and whether brick has been painted before.
On the first day the crew washes, scrapes and sands, then repairs or replaces failing trim. Bare wood, rusted nail heads and patched stucco get spot-primed, and every seam is re-caulked. Then two coats of 100% acrylic go on, back-rolled or back-brushed so the paint bonds.
Inside, we cover furniture, protect floors, patch and sand walls, and cut clean lines at ceilings and trim. See our interior painting page and the gallery of finished homes.
Frequently asked questions
Can you paint the brick on my Salt Lake City home?
If it has never been painted, we’ll usually recommend leaving it alone. Paint traps moisture in old masonry, and in local historic districts unpainted brick cannot be painted. Previously painted brick can be recoated with a breathable finish.
When is the best time to paint an exterior in Salt Lake City?
Mid-April through late October, with May, June, September and early October ideal. Paint needs to stay above the dew point for about two days, so we watch the forecast closely in spring and fall.
Do historic-district rules limit my paint colors?
No. In Salt Lake City’s local historic districts, paint color is exempt from the Certificate of Appropriateness process. The city only steps in for other exterior changes and for painting never-painted masonry.
How do you handle lead paint on an older house?
Any home built before 1978 may have lead paint under newer layers. We plan for containment, careful scraping rather than open sanding, and thorough cleanup.
Which parts of Salt Lake City do you serve?
All of it, west side to east bench, plus South Salt Lake, Millcreek, Holladay, Murray, West Valley City and Taylorsville. Most of the city is within fifteen minutes of our shop.
Also serving nearby neighborhoods
Ready to talk about your Salt Lake City home?
Call (385) 462-4410 or request a free consultation and we’ll come take a look.