CertaPro PaintersFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A CertaPro Painters franchise requires a total initial investment of $171K – $321K, including a $65K franchise fee. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $2.1M[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 16.1% charge-off rate across 263 loans[1]. Verdict grade: B. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 21, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $171K – $321K
- 64th pct Home Services
- Avg gross sales
- $2.1M
- 44th pct Home Services
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 307
- 72nd pct Home Services
- SBA default
- 16.1%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Home Services · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Home Services avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Each dollar invested generates 8.7x in gross revenue, well above the typical 1.5-2.5x range.
Franchising since 1992. Systems this mature have refined operations and brand recognition.
The system contracted 7% year-over-year. Investigate why units are closing.
Bottom line
- Total investment $171K – $321K including a $65K franchise fee.
- Average unit revenue of $2.1M/year (median $1.4M). Estimated payback in 0.4 years (based on P&L Bottom Line).
- Verdict B (Above Average) with a risk score of 55/100. SBA loan charge-off rate of 16.1% across 263 loans (above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2024).
- System contracting at -8.2% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven (consolidation) or franchisee-driven (economics).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Certa ProPainters, Ltd.
- Parent company
- FS Brands, Inc.
- CEO title
- President and Chief Executive Officer
- Michael Stone
- CEO experience
- 20 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Incorporated in
- MA
- HQ
- 2621 Van Buren Avenue, Suite 550A, Audubon, PA 19403
- Auditor
- PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $782.2M
- vs $850.4M prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Overview
About
CertaPro Painters franchisees operate residential and commercial interior/exterior painting services. Day-to-day operations include managing crews, scheduling jobs, coordinating with customers, sourcing materials, and ensuring quality control across paint application projects. Franchisees are responsible for local marketing, customer acquisition, staff hiring/training, and profitability within their protected territory.
- CEO
- Michael Stone
- Headquarters
- PA
- Founded
- 1971
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 44
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $65K | $65K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $20K | $75K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $87K | $181K |
| Total initial investment | $171K | $321K |
Source: CertaPro Painters 2025 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$213K
10.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
73%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
16 mo
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $171K – $321K
- Near category avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $20K – $75K
- Near category avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $65K – $65K
- Below avg, review vs category
- Royalty
- greater of 6%/5%/4% of Gross Sales or Minimum Royalty
- Ad fund
- 3.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 9.3%
- vs 9–13% typical
- Payback period
- 0.4 yrs
- From FDD / Item 19
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty (flat) | greater of percentage listed or required Minimum Royalty Payment |
| Marketing / ad fund | 3.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $0 |
| Training fee | $40 |
| Transfer fee | $25K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Total fee load | 9.3% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $2.1M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $1.4M
- Avg p&l bottom line
- $591K
- Reported as P&L Bottom Line in FDD Item 19
- Item 19 type
- gross_sales
- Sample size
- 292 units
- vs category median 25 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $167K→$18.4M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency tier
- none
- Categorical assessment of disclosure depth
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Transparency
- 9 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · above
Compared against 349 Home Services brands
Revenue is 8.7x the investment midpoint. At typical franchise margins, this suggests a payback under 3 years.
vs Home Services averages
How CertaPro Painters Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 307
- Opened
- 3
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 24
- Turnover rate
- 7.8%
- Company-owned
- 4
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 99%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- -6.5%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- -8.2%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 19
- Transfer rate
- 6.2%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Continuity rate
- 93.5%
- Units that stayed open
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 14 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 263
- Loan volume
- $62.2M
- Median loan
- $206K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 16.1%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- 91.2%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 3.6%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 110
- Defaults
- 29
Vintage analysis
CertaPro Painters charge-off rate by loan vintage
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into CertaPro Painters's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 10 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 15 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 14-year lending trend
- SBA 504 real estate/equipment data
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Declining franchise network, active litigation over covenant enforcement, lack of disclosed financial metrics, and high capital requirements create material execution and financial risks for new franchisees.
Litigation (Item 3)
2021 arbitration against former franchisee Kaizen Associates, Inc. and David M. Joynt (Case No. 01-21-0016-9400) settled in 2022 with financial payment and dismissal in exchange for restrictive covenant negotiation. 2024 federal court action against Theodore Gargano and TNT Painting, LLC in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania (Case No. 2024-5887) for financial damages and restrictive covenant enforcement, pending as of March 2025.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 55 / 100 rating
- 01MINORUnit count declining 6.5% YoY (307 units) signals system contraction and potential market saturation or franchisee dissatisfaction
- 02HIGHPending federal litigation (2024) against former franchisee for financial damages and covenant enforcement indicates enforcement challenges and potential franchisor-franchisee conflict
- 03HIGHNo Item 19 financial performance representation (Going Concern: False) means prospective franchisees lack verified average revenue/profit benchmarks to validate the $591K avg net income claim
- 04MINORTiered royalty structure (6%/5%/4% declining, or minimum) with no specified minimum amount creates unpredictable cash flow obligation; high gross sales requirement implies significant working capital needs
- 05MINORInitial investment range of $171K–$320.5K is substantial with $65K franchise fee; ROI timeline unclear without Item 19 data or cost-of-acquisition benchmarks
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Zip Codes |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Not allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 10 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Pennsylvania |
| Litigation count | 2 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
2021 arbitration against former franchisee Kaizen Associates, Inc. and David M. Joynt (Case No. 01-21-0016-9400) settled in 2022 with financial payment and dismissal in exchange for restrictive covenant negotiation. 2024 federal court action against Theodore Gargano and TNT Painting, LLC in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania (Case No. 2024-5887) for financial damages and restrictive covenant enforcement, pending as of March 2025.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 60 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 40 hrs
- Training location
- CertaPro's offices in Audubon, Pennsylvania, or at the franchisee's business site
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Field support
- 43 hrs/yr
- On-site visits per year
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- CertaOne
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: CertaOne
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
100 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
CertaPro Painters · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a CertaPro Painters franchise?
The total investment to open a CertaPro Painters franchise ranges from $171K – $321K, with an initial franchise fee of $65K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do CertaPro Painters franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the CertaPro Painters FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $2.1M. The median is $1.4M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is CertaPro Painters's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, CertaPro Painters has a charge-off rate of 16.1% across 263 loans, meaning 16.1% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many CertaPro Painters franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, CertaPro Painters has 307 total units in the United States, including 303 franchised units and 4 company-owned units. 3 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is CertaPro Painters a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates CertaPro Painters as a B-grade franchise with a risk score of 55 out of 100, based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.