Professional painters and other service businesses can make great money. They often get referrals from contractors as well as customers. That’s why we think you should look at painting franchises if you’re considering starting your own service business.
We’ve talked to multiple painting franchise owners who have seen extraordinary success, and we’re going to share the information you need to start your own painting business.
We’ve researched every painting franchise opportunity we could find to help you choose between the big painting companies. You can either read from start to finish or jump around by clicking one of the links below:
As we start reviewing the top painting franchises in the United States, you’re probably asking yourself, “Is a painting business profitable?”
Let’s find out.
Painting Industry Outlook
The painting industry is expected to grow to $223.6 billion by 2027 with a compound annual growth rate of 3.3%. The average house painting business makes approximately $138,764 in annual revenue with a 6.3% profit margin.
However, some of the most profitable commercial painting services make much more. For instance, Spray-Net franchise owners average $625K in annual revenue with a 59.4% gross profit margin. That means they’re making nearly five times as much as most painting business owners.
Best Painting Franchises
We’ve investigated the best painting franchises and selected the top 15 choices. Our selections are based on interviews with real franchise owners, suggestions from brokers, and the information in franchise disclosure documents.
#1. Spray-Net
Spray-Net is a franchisor that paints outside walls, kitchens, doors, windows, and roofs. They use proprietary techniques that allow them to mix paint on the job site and adjust for climate conditions.
• Franchise fee: $45K
• Total investment: $170.8K to $241.8K
• Royalty fee: 8%
• Space needed: 100 to 2K square feet
• Employees: Enough employees to provide services
• Territories: Can buy more than one territory if available in your area
• Franchising funding assistance: Yes, through third-party financing services
Learn how Carmelo Marsala started Spray-Net below:
#2. Wise Coatings
You might not have heard of Wise Coatings before since it’s fairly new to the painting industry. It’s the only painting franchise on our list that focuses on providing epoxy finishes on flooring.
We were so impressed with Brandon Wise’s knowledge that we built our flagship business course with him. This franchise opportunity requires the following:
• Franchise fee: $50K
• Total investment: $117.4K to $160K (including three months of working capital)
• Space needed: 100 to 2K square feet
• Employees: 2 to 4 employees
• Territories: Discounts available if you buy more than one territory
• Franchising funding assistance: Available through Benetrends
Check out our interview with Brandon below:
#3. That 1 Painter
That 1 Painter provides painting, carpentry, and drywall services for residential and commercial buildings. The top location makes just over $3M, while the lowest revenue for a location owned for more than a year is under $348,000.
• Franchise fee: $59K
• Total investment: $113K to $189K
• Space needed: 100 to 2K square feet
• Employees: 2 to 4 employees
• Territories: Discounts available if you buy more than one territory
• Franchising funding assistance: No
That 1 Painter is part of ResiBrands, the same home services company that owns Garage Up and Pink’s Window Cleaning.
#4. EverLine Coatings
John Evans started EverLine Coatings to repair parking lots. These painting franchise opportunities average nearly $900K in the first year. They work on commercial painting projects to repair asphalt and paint the lines in parking lots.
• Franchise fee: $49.5K
• Total investment: $164.7K to $332.4K
• Royalty fee: 9% or $500 per territory + 3% (whichever is greater)
• Space needed: 100 to 2K square feet
• Employees: Enough employees to provide services
• Territories: Can buy more than one territory if available in your area
• Franchising funding assistance: Yes, through third-party financing services
Learn more about EverLine Coatings in the interview below:
#5. CertaPro Painters
As a CertaPro Painters franchise owner, you’ll be providing services such as indoor and outdoor painting, light carpentry, and epoxy.
• Franchise fee: $65K
• Total investment: $155.8K to $302.5K
• Royalty fee: 5%
• Space needed: 100 to 2K square feet, preferably rented within your territory
• Employees: Enough employees to provide services
• Territories: Can buy more than one territory if available in your area
• Franchising funding assistance: Yes, through third-party financing services
Given that CertaPro offers so many different services, expect it to take a while to master them all.
#6. Five Star Painting
Five Star Painting is another of the large national painting companies. Services include a mix of interior and exterior projects such as painting cabinets and decks.
• Franchise fee: $45K
• Total investment: $77.8K to $184.8K
• Royalty fee: 6%
• Space needed: 100 to 2K square feet
• Employees: Enough employees to provide services
• Territories: Can buy more than one territory if available in your area
• Franchising funding assistance: Yes, through third-party financing services
Five Star Painting is a Neighborly company along with 17 other service franchises.
#7. 360° Painting
360° Painting is another painting company that offers residential indoor and outdoor painting and drywall repair.
• Franchise fee: $65K
• Total investment: $101.4K to $145K
• Royalty fee: 8%
• Space needed: 100 to 2K square feet
• Employees: Enough employees to provide services
• Territories: Can buy more than one territory if available in your area
• Franchising funding assistance: Yes, through third-party financing services
A 360° Painting franchise was rated the best painting franchise by Entrepreneur in 2018 and 2019, but there’s more competition among the best painting franchises today.
#8. Fresh Coat
Fresh Coat offers interior and exterior painting, popcorn ceiling removal, wallpaper removal, and power washing. These franchises provide painting services for residential, commercial, and government properties.
• Franchise fee: $44.9K
• Total investment: $66.2K to $96.3K
• Royalty fee: 9% to 11%
• Space needed: 100 to 2K square feet
• Employees: Enough employees to provide services
• Territories: Can buy more than one territory if available in your area
• Franchising funding assistance: Yes, through third-party financing services
Fresh Coat enables Fresh Coat painters locations to earn back their initial franchise fee through the Winner’s Circle program. That means you can reduce the Fresh Coat painting franchise cost to as little as $22K.
#9. Wow 1 Day Painting
Wow 1 Day Painting is run by the same company as 1-800-Got-Junk. You’ll use the exact same methodologies at both franchise organizations. Pricing for franchisees is either a $60K franchise fee or a $20K down payment with the other $40K paid 13 to 60 months later.
• Franchise fee: $20K to $60K
• Total investment: $$63.5K to $134.2K
• Royalty fee: $5K to $8K + 11%
• Space needed: 100 to 2K square feet.
• Employees: Enough employees to provide services
• Territories: Can buy more than one territory if available in your area
• Franchising funding assistance: Yes, through third-party financing services
Wow 1 Day Painting also has an income guarantee during the first year.
#10. Color World Painting
Color World Painting is more than just the Color World house painting that you will commonly see in other resources.
• Franchise fee: $40K
• Total investment: $72.3K to $145K
• Royalty fee: 6%
• Space needed: 100 to 2K square feet
• Employees: Enough employees to provide services
• Territories: Can buy more than one territory if available in your area
• Franchising funding assistance: Yes, through third-party financing services
Color World Painting is also a commercial and residential painting franchise that does holiday lighting and gutter installation. These extra projects can be a good way for a commercial painting company to earn additional revenue during slower months.
#11. Painter1
Painter1 is a fast-growing franchise that provides software, coaching, marketing and branding assistance to help people grow within the franchise system.
• Franchise fee: $49.5K
• Total investment: $70.9K to $145K
• Royalty fee: 5%
• Space needed: 100 to 2K square feet
• Employees: Enough employees to provide services
• Territories: Can buy more than one territory if available in your area
• Franchising funding assistance: Yes, through third-party financing services
#12. America’s Color Consultants
America’s Color Consultants is one of the lower cost paint franchises. They primarily focus on helping people and small businesses choose the colors of exterior and interior paint.
• Franchise fee: $10K
• Total investment: $12.6K
• Royalty fee: 6%
• Space needed: 100 to 2K square feet.
• Employees: Enough employees to provide services
• Territories: Can buy more than one territory if available in your area
• Franchising funding assistance: Yes, through third-party financing services
#13. Klappenberger & Son
Klappenberger & Son started as more of a handyman business, but they also do a lot of painting. As a franchisee, you’ll get bookkeeping, a customer relationship management system, call center support, and six weeks of training.
• Franchise fee: $47K
• Total investment: $77.7K to $119.5K
• Royalty fee: 6.25% to 8.25%
• Space needed: 100 to 2K square feet
• Employees: Enough employees to provide services
• Territories: Can buy more than one territory if available in your area
• Franchising funding assistance: Yes, through third-party financing services
The franchise fees go down the longer you are with the company.
#14. Lime Painting
Lime Painting focuses on painting, coating, and surface restoration for luxury residential and commercial buildings.
• Franchise fee: $50K
• Total investment: $90K to $129.7K
• Royalty fee: 8%
• Space needed: 100 to 2K square feet
• Employees: Enough employees to provide services
• Territories: Can buy more than one territory if available in your area
• Franchising funding assistance: Yes, through third-party financing services
Lime Painting tends to have higher profit margins but will also be more concerned about whether you look the part of a luxury provider.
How to Start a Painting Franchise
Starting a painting franchise can mean two things: creating your own franchise network and selling to other franchisees.or buying a painting franchise from a trusted brand.
For those looking to start their own franchising company, check out this blog. If you want to speak to a professional, Big Sky Franchise Team can help you convert an existing business into a franchise.
If you’d rather be a franchisee for an established brand, here are the steps to start a painter franchise:
- Consider your budget and values: Start by considering how much you have to spend, the type of business owner you want to be, and your personal vision of the best painting franchise.
- Research franchise painting opportunities: Learn about each house painting franchise’s business model, market, financial requirements, and rules.
- Perform due diligence: Investigate the franchise’s operations and talk to the traditional franchise representatives.
- Review documents: New painting franchise owners will need to read the franchise disclosure document and franchise agreement. All prospective new painting franchisees will receive a copy of the disclosure document, while the agreement is a binding contract stating the responsibilities of the franchisor and franchisee.
- Talk to current franchisees: No one can tell you about franchise painting companies better than current franchise partners. Call the top franchises, average ones, and poor performers to find out what they like and dislike about the painting franchise for sale.
- Attend Discovery Day: A commercial painting franchise will normally host a discovery day to help people decide if they want to buy a franchise.
- Get training and support: Every company on our best painting franchise list offers some form of training and support. Many offer online ongoing education as well.
- Set up the business: You’ll need to set up your house painting franchise by the book. Follow the business plan you and the franchisor create, then start finding customers.
Differentiation in the Painting Franchise Industry
Painting franchises, like other industries, are going through a technological boom. Franchisees are searching for business systems that help them stand out, provide a better service, and improve profit margins. Some strategies you might ask residential and commercial painting franchises about include:
- Eco-friendly paint: Consumers are more environmentally conscious than ever before. Paint with low volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is safer for indoor air quality.
- Estimation tools: Software helps paint franchises estimate the cost to paint homes and businesses. Plus, you can use 3D modeling to help the customer know what their rooms will look like with a fresh coat of paint.
- Virtual appointments: You can use video calls to save time and gas driving to people’s homes.
- Augmented reality (AR): Like 3D modeling, AR apps can help customers see what a room or exterior wall will look like after painting is complete.
- Warranties and guarantees: Spray-Net differentiates itself with a 15-year warranty, bridging the gap between repainting and resurfacing walls and roofs.
- Community engagement: Everline Coatings does free parking lot repairs for churches as a way to help give back to communities. Paint companies can do things like that too.
- Smart marketing: Digital marketing strategies are a key part of operating a successful business. Ask top painting companies lots of questions about their marketing before signing up for a franchise.
- Diverse service offerings: Expanding your services is a great way to improve your success as a paint franchise.
- Employee training and certification: Some franchises offer employee training and certifications to increase employees’ knowledge and skills.
- Better customer service: All these innovations lead to better customer service.
Painting Franchise FAQ
Let’s discuss some frequently asked questions about painting franchises.
Is Sherwin-Williams a franchise?
Sherwin-Williams is not a franchise. All stores are corporately owned. If the opportunity to buy a Sherwin Williams franchise becomes available, we will update this information with the Sherwin Williams franchise cost.
Until then, you might want to check out Sherwin-Williams certified painter resources.
How much is a painting franchise?
Most painting franchises cost between $50K and $125K, but some are as little as $13K or as high as $185K. Costs depend on the type of franchise, the location, and the necessary equipment. For example, a color consultation franchise will likely cost less than a franchise that requires pressure washers and other tools.
In addition to the initial investment when you open a painting franchise, you’ll also want to consider the ongoing royalty fees, reputation, and what support the paint franchise opportunities offer. While a low investment is good, quality tends to be a better predictor of unlimited potential earnings for the best painting franchises.
How do you start a painting business?
Painting franchises are best for people who like following the rules. However, some people want to start their own painting company and figure things out as they go. Thriving business owners will normally follow the steps below to start successful painting companies:
- Learn professional house painting skills.
- Research the market.
- Create a painting business plan.
- Consider painting business names.
- Choose your business structure.
- Get a painter’s license.
- Open a business bank account.
- Get painting business insurance.
- Establish painting services and prices.
- Choose your painting equipment.
- Set up accounting and bookkeeping.
- Invest in painting business software.
- Advertise your painting business.
- Get your first customers.
- Document everything.
- Hire subcontractors or employees.
Check out our article about starting a painting business to learn about the high-growth industry, revenue streams, and startup costs that Spray-Net experienced as they built their proven systems into a growing brand.
If you need help coming up with a name for your business, try our business name generator.
Are there other good painting franchises?
We do our best to find the best franchises for you. We introduced you to numerous retail franchise opportunities you might not be familiar with. Plus, we answered whether there are Sherwin-Williams stores franchises (there aren’t) and explained the differences between starting your own company and buying a franchise.
There are other types of painting franchises like auto painting franchises and artistic workshops that we’ll discuss in other blogs.
Which painting franchise is highest on your list?
