CertaPro Painters Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $171K – $246K
- Disclosed sales
- $2.1M
- gross sales, not profit
- SBA charge-off
- 16.1%
- on 263 loans
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
CertaPro Painters is a home-services franchise providing residential and commercial interior and exterior painting. Franchisees run a sales-and-crew operation handling estimates, scheduling, and painting projects in a protected territory.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A CertaPro Painters franchise requires a total initial investment of $171K – $246K, including a $65K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2026 FDD, average unit revenue was $2.1M[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 16.1% charge-off rate across 263 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: low - issued within the last 12 months
Evidence: strong✓ Investment (Item 7)✓ Item 19 status✓ Units and owners (Item 20)✓ SBA loan coverage✓ Litigation (Item 3)✓ Financial statements (Item 21)✓ Franchisor identityhow this is scored7 of 8 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing; the rest are marked “Not cited” beside the figure.
Overview
- Investment
- $171K – $246K
- 70th pct Home Services
- Avg gross sales
- $2.1M
- 20th pct Home Services
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 21st pct Home Services
- Units
- 304
- 81st pct Home Services
- SBA charge-off
- 16.1%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
Quick verdict · Home Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Home Services median · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $171K – $246K including a $65K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $2.1M/year (median $1.3M).
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 56/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 16.1% across 263 loans (above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- GROWTHNegative: net -4 franchised outlets in the latest year (15 opened, 19 closed) (Item 20).
- DECLINESystem 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
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Certa ProPainters, Ltd.
- Parent company
- FS Brands, Inc.
- FDD Item 1, page 10 of the 2026 FDD
- Predecessor
- College Pro Painters (U.S.) Ltd.
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- President and Chief Executive Officer
- Michael Stone
- CEO experience
- 20 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Incorporated in
- Massachusetts
- HQ
- 2621 Van Buren Avenue, Suite 550A, Audubon, Pennsylvania 19403
- Auditor
- PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $850.4M
- vs $782.2M prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Same owner · FDD Item 1, page 10
2 other brands on this site name FS Brands, Inc. as parent or ultimate parent in their own FDD.
Grouped by the owner's name as each filing prints it (this page: the 2026 FDD). Spelling variants of the same group may be listed apart; a brand is never grouped with an owner its filing does not name.
Overview
About
- CEO
- Michael Stone
- Headquarters
- Pennsylvania
- Founded
- 1991
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 44
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 24% above the typical home services franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $65K | $65K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $20K | $53K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $87K | $129K |
| Total initial investment | $171K | $246K |
Source: CertaPro Painters 2026 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $171K – $246K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $20K – $53K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $65K – $65K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- Tiered by sales volume · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 3.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 9.3%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| 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 |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 258% above the home services norm.
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 19
Single-unit · not modelled
Returns at a glance
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit, and the operating costs that turn one into the other are in no filing. We publish no modelled return for CertaPro Painters until someone supplies them — yours, in the models below.
—
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
Total invested capital · disclosed
$245K
Item 7 initial investment plus working capital, as filed — the one figure here that needs no assumption.
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
What one unit earns on your invested capital
Model A · Single-Unit Return
Computes unlevered return on invested capital (ROIC) for a single franchise unit, read against the 30–60% reference band · Yale SOM, Post-MBA Path Exhibit 2 (2023). Below that band a passive index fund likely outperforms; above it the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses, and it is the top line only — gross sales are not profit. No FDD discloses the operating costs that turn one into the other, so those fields start empty and nothing is modelled until you supply them from your own lease quote, labor market and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one CertaPro Painters unit return on the cash you put in?
Illustrative category typicals — not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
What 25 units return when you use SBA financing
Model B · Return on Equity: Debt-Financed Acquisition
Models a 25-unit portfolio acquisition financed with an SBA 7(a) loan. Shows equity IRR (your return on cash invested), DSCR (how safely the cash flow covers debt service), and the capital stack (SBA + seller + equity breakdown).
This is the “search fund” or “entrepreneurship through acquisition” scenario: you buy an existing multi-unit operator, use leverage to amplify returns, and either operate or hire management. The 25-unit size is the typical minimum for an SBA-backed franchise portfolio acquisition to pencil as a full-time income.
What “return on equity” means here: if you put in $500K of your own cash and the business generates enough EBITDA to pay down debt and grow, your equity IRR is the annual return on that $500K, including the value created when you eventually sell. Target IRR for a search fund is typically 25–35%.
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
A 25-unit return is built on a per-unit EBITDA. Fill in the operating costs in Model A above and this model runs on that figure, or take the whole scenario to the full ROI workbench, where the portfolio and LBO models accept your own per-unit economics directly.
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2026 FDD
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $2.1M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $1.3M
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- gross sales average median
- Sample size
- 291 franchisees
- vs category median 32 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $75K→$15.7MCited, not corroborated — printed on page 42 of the 2026 FDD. Nothing else in our record independently restates or re-derives it.
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2026
- Disclosed in the 2026 filing, covering 2025
- Transparency
- 9 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · above
Compared against 319 Home Services brands
Revenue is 10.1x the investment midpoint. At typical franchise margins, this suggests a payback under 3 years.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
Average unit generates $2.1M/year in gross sales. Median is $1.3M — top performers pull the average up, so a typical unit earns less. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 10.1x.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 9.3% — above the Home Services median of 8.0%.
Disclosure
Transparency score 9/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence.
Operator retention
System contracting at -8.2% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven consolidation or franchisee exits.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Home Services medians
How CertaPro Painters Compares
Category median of published Home Services brands that report the figure; the middle half spans the 25th to 75th percentile and n counts the brands behind it. Medians are used because a few very large systems pull an average far from the typical brand. Revenue is disclosed gross sales, not profit.
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 304
- Opened
- 15
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 19
- Terminated
- 6
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 5
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 6.3%
- Company-owned
- 5
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 98%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- Outlier
- Reported value implausible. See FDD Item 20
- Net growth (3-yr)
- -8.2%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- -8.2%
- Compounded over last 3 years
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 6
- Not renewed
- 5
- Transferred
- 19
- Reacquired
- 1
- Franchisor bought back
- 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.
Where the owners are · Item 20 owner list
100 current owners across 14 states.
- FL 24
- CA 15
- GA 15
- IL 14
- CO 9
- AZ 7
- CT 5
- AL 4
- AR 2
- DC 1
- DE 1
- ID 1
- +2 more states
Counts only, from the list the franchisor prints in Item 20. Names and phone numbers are for your own due diligence and are not shown here.
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%
- on 263 loans · 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)
- 83.9%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 3.6%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 110
- Defaults
- 29
- Typical loan rate
- 7.3%
- avg rate to borrowers
- Franchised industry avg
- 26.5%
- brand beats franchise avg ↓
- Jobs supported
- 1,010
- 2.2 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 8%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 29% went to startups / new businesses, 71% to established operators
Franchise vs independent — in painting and wall covering contractors, franchised businesses charge off at 26.5% vs 21.7% for independents — franchising is associated with 22% higher SBA default risk in this category.
Vintage analysis
CertaPro Painters charge-off rate by loan vintage
Top lenders financing CertaPro Painters franchisees
Showing 3 of 110 lenders. The full breakdown — every lender, state distribution, interest rates & risk ratings — is in the SBA Lending Report below.
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Lender network · 7(a) + 504
SBA Lending Report
Full lending analysis for CertaPro Painters from SBA 7(a) FOIA data.
- Principal loss rate
- 1.0%
- Avg SBA guarantee
- 68%
- Avg interest rate
- 7.29%
- Avg chargeoff amount
- $74K
- Lender concentration
- 8.4%
- Job velocity
- 2.2 per $100K
- Startup risk premium
- +22.2pp
- NAICS benchmark
- 24.0%
- NAICS 238320
- Jobs supported
- 1,010
Top SBA lendersTop lender holds 8% of loans
| # | Lender | Loans | Volume | Default % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Live Oak Banking Company | 11 | $4.9M | 0.0% |
| 2 | Stearns Bank National Association | 10 | $1.6M | 22.2% |
| 3 | TD Bank, National Association | 7 | $828K | 20.0% |
| 4 | Wells Fargo Bank National Association | 7 | $2.7M | 0.0% |
| 5 | Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company | 5 | $666K | 0.0% |
| 6 | The Huntington National Bank | 5 | $920K | 0.0% |
| 7 | Citizens Bank, National Association | 4 | $803K | 0.0% |
| 8 | United Midwest Savings Bank National Association | 4 | $600K | 100.0% |
| 9 | Bank of America, National Association | 4 | $1.6M | 0.0% |
| 10 | UMB Bank, National Association | 3 | $775K | 0.0% |
Geographic failure vector
| State | Loans | Defaults | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| FLFlorida | 10 | 0 | 0.0% |
| CACalifornia | 9 | 1 | 20.0% |
| NYNew York | 8 | 1 | 25.0% |
| VAVirginia | 8 | 0 | 0.0% |
| MAMassachusetts | 7 | 0 | 0.0% |
| NHNew Hampshire | 7 | 0 | 0.0% |
| TXTexas | 7 | 2 | 40.0% |
| MDMaryland | 6 | 0 | 0.0% |
| OHOhio | 6 | 0 | 0.0% |
| GAGeorgia | 5 | 0 | 0.0% |
SBA 7(a) lending trend
Borrower profile
Source: SBA 7(a) + 504 FOIA loan-level data, matched by FranchiseVerdict
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans here charge off near the 16.0% national average.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
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)
Subject: the franchisor is a named party (plaintiff).
2021 arbitration against former franchisee (Kaizen Associates/David Joynt) to enforce restrictive covenant, settled in 2022; 2024 lawsuit in E.D. Pa. against former franchisee (Theodore Gargano/TNT Painting) for damages and to enforce restrictive covenant, CertaPro awarded damages and enforcement.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
ⓘ These are the parent company's consolidated financials (the parent guarantees the franchisor), not this brand's standalone results — the figure reflects the whole corporate group, not this brand alone.
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 56 / 100 verdict
- 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
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 9.3% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Exclusive territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Not allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 3 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 20 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 180 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Pennsylvania |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | Pennsylvania |
| Litigation count | 2 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
2021 arbitration against former franchisee (Kaizen Associates/David Joynt) to enforce restrictive covenant, settled in 2022; 2024 lawsuit in E.D. Pa. against former franchisee (Theodore Gargano/TNT Painting) for damages and to enforce restrictive covenant, CertaPro awarded damages and enforcement.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 61 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 0 hrs
- Training location
- Audubon, Pennsylvania (CertaPro's office) plus virtual training
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Field support
- 43 hrs/yr
- On-site visits per year
- Time to open
- 1 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisee
- Franchisor financing
- Not 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
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 – $246K, 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 $1.3M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
Who owns CertaPro Painters?
CertaPro Painters is franchised by Certa ProPainters, Ltd.. Its parent company is FS Brands, Inc.. Source: FDD Item 1, 2026 filing.
What is Item 19 in the CertaPro Painters FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the CertaPro Painters FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
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 304 total units in the United States, including 299 franchised units and 5 company-owned units. 15 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 verdict score of 56 out of 100 (higher is better). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. 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.
For franchisors
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent CertaPro Painters, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
Other Home Services franchises
Compare similar franchise opportunities in the Home Services category
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.