Oasis Painters of Salt Lake City
- 2384 S W Temple St, Salt Lake City, UT 84115
- Locally owned & operated — not a franchise
Painters in The Avenues
If you need painters in The Avenues, you already know the neighborhood doesn’t make it easy. Most of these houses went up between 1880 and 1920, the grid tilts uphill from South Temple toward 18th Avenue, and nearly every home carries the kind of wood detail that was built to be repainted: turned porch posts, bay windows, gable brackets, deep eaves.
Oasis Painters is a short drive up State Street from our shop in South Salt Lake. We paint historic exteriors and the rooms behind them, and we bring the patience that Lower Avenues Victorians and upper-avenue foursquares and bungalows deserve.
What the city reviews in a local historic district, and what it doesn't
The Avenues has been a Salt Lake City Local Historic District since 1978 and a National Register district since 1980, covering close to 100 square blocks. That designation means most exterior alterations need a Certificate of Appropriateness from the city. Paint color, though, is specifically exempt. You can choose your own palette without a hearing.
The one firm rule worth knowing: historic brick or stone that has never been painted should stay that way, and inside the district the city’s guidance says it cannot be painted. That suits us. Paint on old masonry traps moisture and spalls the face of the brick. Our Avenues work concentrates on what was always meant to be painted: wood trim, porches, soffits, windows, doors, and the siding on frame houses. If you’re weighing a change beyond color, say a new porch rail, we’ll flag it so you can check with the city before the crew arrives.
Victorian millwork, bench sun and canyon wind
The Lower Avenues are Queen Anne, Italianate and Victorian Eclectic, with ornate brackets, spindles and fish-scale shingles in the gables. Higher up you find foursquares, Prairie-style homes and bungalows with broad eaves. All of that millwork carries a century of paint layers, and nearly all of it predates 1978, so we plan lead-safe containment and cleanup as a matter of course.
The exposure is harder than on the valley floor. The neighborhood climbs several hundred feet, so UV is stronger and snow lingers on north faces. Easterly downslope winds come straight out of City Creek and Emigration canyons, and the September 2020 windstorm hit The Avenues especially hard. Wind-driven grit scours east-facing trim, and freeze-thaw works on every open joint. We caulk thoroughly and prime bare wood rather than hoping the topcoat will cover it. Our exterior painting guide walks through the seasonal timing.
Why homeowners in The Avenues choose Oasis Painters
We’re locally owned and operated, not a franchise, which matters on houses where no two porches are alike. Here is what that means on your project:
- Hand work where it counts. Brackets, spindles and window sashes get brushed, not blasted with a sprayer and left with drips in the detail.
- Steep-lot access planned in advance. Downhill elevations on sloped lots often need taller ladders or scaffold, and we schedule and price that honestly.
- Lead-aware prep on pre-1978 trim, with containment, no open-flame removal and a clean wrap-up every day.
- Masonry left alone. We won’t talk you into painting brick that has never been painted.
- Licensed and insured, with a written proposal that lists every surface and coat count.
Thinking about a project in The Avenues? Get a clear, written proposal from a local crew.
How painters in The Avenues should run an exterior
We start with a free consultation, walking all four sides and noting rot in porch flooring, failed glazing on old windows and soft spots in fascia. The proposal spells out carpentry repairs separately so you can see where the money goes.
On site, the crew washes gently, scrapes and sands loose paint with the edges feathered, replaces or epoxy-repairs damaged wood, then spot-primes everything bare. Caulking comes next, using a flexible sealant that can move with the temperature swings up here. Two finish coats of 100% acrylic follow, brushed on trim and back-brushed wherever siding is sprayed.
Many Avenues owners pair the exterior with a few rooms inside, often plaster patching and ceilings in a 1905 house. Our interior painting page covers that work, the gallery shows finished homes, and we serve neighboring Central City and downtown as well.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need city approval to change exterior paint colors in The Avenues?
No. Paint color is exempt from the Certificate of Appropriateness process in Salt Lake City’s local historic districts, including The Avenues. Other exterior changes, like replacing windows, railings or siding, do need approval, so we’ll point those out if they come up in your scope.
My brick was painted decades ago. Can you repaint it?
Yes. Masonry that has already been painted can be cleaned, primed with a masonry primer and recoated with a breathable acrylic. What we avoid is painting brick that is still bare, which the city prohibits in the district and which tends to trap moisture in old walls.
How do you handle lead paint on 1890s trim?
We assume any pre-1978 painted surface may contain lead and work accordingly: plastic containment below the work area, no open-flame burning or uncontained power sanding, and thorough cleanup each day. It adds a little time, but it’s the only responsible way to prep a Victorian.
When is the best time to paint an exterior in The Avenues?
May through June and September into early October are ideal. The bench runs a little cooler than the valley floor, so we watch surface temperatures and the 48-hour forecast closely in spring and fall, and we avoid pushing a job into the first hard freeze.
How far is Oasis Painters from The Avenues?
Our shop is at 2384 S West Temple in South Salt Lake, about four miles south of South Temple. It’s a straight shot up State Street, so crews arrive early and site visits are easy to schedule.
Also serving nearby neighborhoods
Ready to refresh your Avenues home?
Schedule a free consultation and we’ll walk the house with you, porch to gable, and put every detail in writing.