Oasis Painters of Salt Lake City
- 2384 S W Temple St, Salt Lake City, UT 84115
- Locally owned & operated — not a franchise
Painters in Central Salt Lake City
Painters in Central Salt Lake City need to understand two things before they pick up a brush: the city’s historic-district rules, and the tall, narrow Victorian houses those rules protect. Central City, running from South Temple toward Liberty Park between State Street and 700 East, is the densest of the city’s older neighborhoods, with 1870s houses alongside bungalows, period cottages and walk-up apartments.
Oasis Painters is based at 2384 S West Temple in South Salt Lake, about three miles south along State Street. We paint interiors and exteriors for homeowners, duplex owners and condo residents in the 84102 and 84111 ZIP codes.
What the Central City historic district means for your paint
The core of Central City, roughly seventeen blocks from South Temple toward Liberty Park with 400 South through the middle, has been a local historic district since 1991 and a National Register district since 1996. Most exterior changes there need a Certificate of Appropriateness from the city. Paint color is the exception: you can choose any color without review.
The firm rule is masonry. Historic brick and stone that has never been painted cannot be painted. Brick that was painted decades ago can be recoated, and we use a masonry primer and a breathable finish so it doesn’t trap moisture.
Outside the district boundary, toward 1300 South or east of 700 East, no review applies. We’ll confirm your status before we propose anything.
Tall houses, ornate trim and a lot of ladder work
Central City grew along the streetcar from 1891, and the housing reflects it. The earliest homes are stuccoed adobe and brick hall-and-parlor houses. Then come Italianate and Queen Anne Victorians with cross-wings, bays, spindlework porches and steep gables, followed by roughly a hundred bungalows, foursquares and Arts and Crafts homes, and finally period cottages into the 1950s.
The Victorians are the demanding ones. They’re tall and narrow on small lots, which means ladder and sometimes scaffold work close to the neighbor’s fence, and the trim has more joints and profiles than any other house type in the valley. Every bracket, spindle and window hood is a place for water to get in.
Our exterior painting approach here is methodical: hand-scraping, consolidating soft wood, priming every bare edge, and brushing rather than spraying where the detail calls for it.
Duplexes, fourplexes and small apartment buildings
About one in ten buildings in Central City is an apartment building, and many single-family homes were converted to duplexes or fourplexes over the years. If you own one, you know the cycle: a unit turns over and needs to be patched and painted before the next tenant moves in.
We paint turnover units quickly and consistently, keeping a record of your colors so the next unit matches the last. For whole-building exteriors on a small walk-up, we settle the Certificate of Appropriateness question up front and schedule so entrances aren’t blocked for long.
Condo owners in the newer buildings along 400 South and near downtown call us for interior repaints, where the HOA controls the outside but the inside is yours. See our interior painting page for how we work in occupied spaces.
Thinking about a project in Central Salt Lake City? Get a clear, written proposal from a local crew.
Heat, shade and the 400 South corridor
Central City sits flat on the valley floor, hemmed in by the commercial corridors on State Street, 400 South and 700 East. The pavement creates a heat-island effect, so even with dense street trees and the grass medians on 600 East, summer afternoons run hot and west-facing paint takes a beating.
At the same time, big trees keep porches and north walls shaded and slow to dry. Add freeze-thaw winters and inversion grime, and you get peeling on the north side and fading on the south side of the same house.
We wash everything, treat mildew where we find it, and choose products for the exposure, not just the color chip. Our exterior season runs mid-April through late October, with shaded elevations scheduled for the drier part of the day.
Why Central City residents choose Oasis Painters
- We know the district rules and will tell you plainly what needs a certificate and what doesn’t.
- Victorian trim experience. Brackets, spindles and bays get hand-brushed detail, not a quick spray.
- Landlord-friendly. Fast turnover units, color records kept on file, and tenants treated with respect.
- Lead-aware prep. Nearly every home here predates 1978, and we contain and clean up accordingly.
- Locally owned and operated, not a franchise, licensed and insured, with a shop a few minutes down State Street.
Neighbors in Liberty Wells and the Avenues work with the same crews. Start with a free consultation and we’ll follow up with a written proposal covering surfaces, coats, products and dates. See finished projects in our gallery.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a Certificate of Appropriateness to repaint my house in Central City?
Not for paint color. Salt Lake City exempts color from review in its local historic districts. You would need one for other exterior changes like replacing siding, and never-painted masonry must stay unpainted.
Can you paint the exterior of a converted duplex while tenants are living there?
Yes. We schedule around entrances so no unit is blocked for long, notify tenants before spraying near windows, and clean up every evening. Most duplexes take four to six working days.
How do you handle the ornate wood trim on a Victorian?
By hand. We scrape and sand each profile, consolidate or replace soft wood, prime every bare edge, caulk and brush two coats of exterior enamel. It takes longer than spraying a rambler.
Do you paint interiors in Central City condos near Trolley Square?
Yes. Condo interiors are owner-controlled, so no HOA approval is needed for colors inside your unit. We coordinate building access and use low-odor paints.
What about lead paint on a home from the 1890s?
Assume it’s there under the newer layers. We use containment, wet scraping instead of open sanding, and thorough cleanup so dust doesn’t spread to the yard or inside.
Also serving nearby neighborhoods
Historic home? We're ready
Call (385) 462-4410 or request a free consultation and we’ll meet you on your porch.