Exterior paint costs in Oklahoma City

Oklahoma runs its own lead-safe certification for painters. The state Department of Environmental Quality certifies renovation firms, and a firm certified by EPA or another state still has to get DEQ certification to work in Oklahoma. The rules cover housing built before 1978. On the outside of a house, disturbing 20 square feet of painted surface or less counts as minor repair, as long as the crew avoids the work methods the rules prohibit; past that, the lead-safe rules apply.

That matters around Oklahoma City because so much of the housing is old enough. More than two in five homes in the metro were built before 1980, and the median house dates to 1985. Scraping or sanding a whole house that old takes extra setup and cleanup.

The weather adds wear on top. Oklahoma City swings from more than 70 days of 90°F heat to about as many freezing nights each year. Boards and trim swell and shrink through those swings, and caulked joints crack open and let water behind the paint. Spring storms can bring hail that chips siding and trim.

A house built in 1978 or later falls outside the lead rules entirely.