Worldwide Refinishing System Franchise Cost & 2026 FDD Data
56/100
Second tier
56 this brand56 Home Services medianlikely 52–60: narrower with more SBA loans (high confidence)
Higher is better · an editorial assessment, not investment advice
#1,232 of 3,068 graded brands
Why a B: Helped by financial health, unit economics, unit growth, legal record and transparency. See all six factors
- Total investment
- $330K – $655K
- Avg gross sales
- $1.6M
- “All reporting franchisees”, 41 franchisees; not profit
- SBA charge-off
- 16.7%
1 in 6 SBA 7(a) loans to Worldwide Refinishing System owners charged off (2 of 12 resolved loans, approved FY1995 to FY1996); Home Services median 17.8%.
Data from the FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records. Analysis by FranchiseVerdict · Methodology · Website · Report an error · Franchisor? Claim this listing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026 FDD
Per the 2026 FDD, a Worldwide Refinishing System franchise requires a total initial investment of $330K – $655K, including a $48K – $76K franchise fee. Once open, the ongoing royalty is 7.0%. Per the 2026 FDD, average gross sales were $1.6M (Item 19 group “All reporting franchisees”, 41 franchisees; gross sales, not profit). SBA 7(a) loans show a 16.7% charge-off rate on 12 resolved loans. Verdict grade: B (Second tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice.
Sources: 2026 FDD · SBA 7(a) loan records (FOIA) · What one unit could make and lose →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: low (issued within the last 12 months)
Evidence for the headline figures: 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 scored8 of 8 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
Quick verdict · vs Home Services median
Top edge: green = better than the Home Services median by more than 10%, red = worse by more than 10%, gray = within 10% or no benchmark. Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a).
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Methodology
Bottom line
- RETURNSAverage gross sales of $1.6M/year (outlet median $1.2M; Item 19 group “All reporting franchisees”, 41 franchisees; gross sales, not profit).
- GROWTHIn the latest Item 20 year, the number of franchised outlets grew by 4.
AT STAKEOne unit at the Item 7 midpoint: $64K a year in payments on assumed SBA 7(a)-style terms.You put in about $98K of your own cash and personally guarantee a $394K loan. Assumptions are labeled in Sales; not investment advice.See what one unit could make and lose
Things to check before you sign (2)
- The franchisor keeps the right to compete inside your territory (Item 12, territory).
- Item 15 (owner participation) requires the owner, or a principal the franchisor approves, to run the business day to day. Ask how much of the business that principal must own.
SBA charge-off rate 16.7%, near the 17.8% category median; the score uses fixed ranges, not the median, and takes 6 points for it (see Why a B). Checked and clear: no auditor doubt that the franchisor can keep operating, no net loss of franchised outlets in the latest Item 20 years, no lawsuit naming the franchisor in Item 3 and the full filing on file, and an Item 19 average from 41 units. Not on file here, so ask: jury-trial waiver and supplier rebates.
What to do next
Step 1: Read the FDD itself.
Free: the franchisor must give it to you at least 14 days before you sign or pay. Or look it up in a state registry (Wisconsin, Minnesota, California). What to read first.
Step 2: Talk to current and former owners.
Free: Item 20 of the FDD lists every current owner and those who left last year, most with a phone number. Questions to ask.
Shortcut: the Worldwide Refinishing System owner list as a CSV, in the Contacts section.
Step 3: Talk to an SBA lender.
Free: the SBA's Lender Match, or the lenders already lending to this brand in the SBA section. Ask what you would personally guarantee and what the monthly payment would be. If you plan to use retirement savings, ask a CPA about the rules for that first.
Step 4: Have a franchise attorney review the FDD and agreement.
Free: your state bar's lawyer referral service can name franchise lawyers, and many offer a short first consultation. Bring the checks listed above.
Research steps, not investment or legal advice.
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost (the Item 7 midpoint) is 3.0× the Home Services median ($164K).
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7 (fees and startup costs)
Do you qualify? The filing states no minimum net worth or liquid capital. Ask Worldwide Refinishing Systems, Inc. (Item 1: 4547 Lake Shore Drive, Suite 202, Waco, Texas 76710) and your lender what they require, and keep living costs for the first year outside the deal.
Full Item 7 breakdown13 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $48K | $75.6K | |
| Software Support Fee | $4.5K | $4.5K | |
| Vehicle | $0 | $11K | |
| Equipment, Supplies & Inventory | $29.9K | $33.9K | |
| Insurance | $7.5K | $12K | |
| Initial Advertising & Promotional Deposit | $48K | $66K | |
| Initial Education Fee | $2.1K | $2.1K | |
| Training, Travel, Lodging & Food | $4K | $4K | |
| Deposits, Permits & Licenses | $0 | $2K | |
| Real Estate | $154.4K | $310.1K | |
| Professional Fees | $8.28K | $12.5K | |
| Additional Funds - 9 to 12 mo. (includes estimated personal living expenses for 6 to 12 mo.) | $18K | $116.2K | |
| Refundable Design Center Deposit | $5K | $5K | |
| Total initial investment | $330K | $655K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. The total row is the total as printed in Item 7. Actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 6 · what you pay once you are open
Ongoing fees
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 7.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology feeDigital Visibility (SEO) Fee of $750/month, first 12 months ($9,000) covered by Initial Advertising and Promotional Deposit | $750/month |
| Training feeAdditional training charge listed in Item 6 | $2,100 |
| Transfer fee | $20,000 |
| Renewal fee | $10,000 |
| Total fee loadabove the Home Services median of 8.0% (heavy) | 9.0% of sales |
What do units actually make?
Average gross sales are 2.6× the Home Services median ($593K).
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 19 (sales and earnings)
Items 6 (other fees), 7 (startup costs) and 19 (sales and earnings) · assumptions labeled
What you could make and lose: one unit
What one Worldwide Refinishing System unit would ask of you, from the filing's Item 7 total and labeled assumptions.
Average gross sales are $1.6M (FDD p.56), and the royalty and ad fund take about $141K of that a year (Item 6). This brand's Item 19 prints cost or operating-income lines that are not on this page yet. Read them in Item 19 and enter them here. So this box does not estimate a profit. To cover the loan payment alone, one unit has to clear $64K a year after its food, labor, rent and other costs and the franchisor's fees.
How these figures are worked out
- Loan (assumption): 80% of the $492K Item 7 midpoint is a $394K loan, paid over 10 years at 10.5%: $64K a year. SBA 7(a)-style terms on a long-term rate; your lender sets yours.
What you put at risk
Your own cash in: about $98K Assumption (the part the loan does not cover of the $492K Item 7 midpoint), plus whatever anything Item 7 leaves out (its notes say what). The loan is $394K.
Personal guarantee. SBA 7(a) loans require a personal guarantee from anyone who owns 20% or more of the business. If the unit cannot pay, the lender can collect from you personally, which can include your savings and your home. The worst case is losing the cash you put in and still owing the rest of the loan.
Gross sales are not profit, and none of these figures is take-home pay until tax and every operating cost are paid. The assumptions are ours, not the filing's. Not investment advice.
Returns modelOne unit · several units · editable
One unit
One unit: what is left after the loan payment
Gross sales, minus the franchisor's fees and the operating costs, is the unit's EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization). Minus an assumed loan payment, that is what is left for you, before tax. Gross sales are not profit.
This brand's Item 19 prints cost or operating-income lines that are not on this page yet. Read them in Item 19 and enter them here. Invested capital is the Item 7 total, which already includes its working-capital (additional funds) line.
Returns model · one unit
What would one Worldwide Refinishing System unit leave you each year after the loan payment?
Item 19: $1,565,320 average for 41 outlets (All reporting franchisees). Use a figure for outlets like yours if yours differ.
Gross sales, not profit: the costs below decide what is left.
The filing also sets a minimum or cap on these fees: “Standard Royalty Fee declines from 7% to 3% of Gross Sales (tiered by sales level); subject to a Minimum Royalty Fee schedule ($250/week rising to $500/week plus per-population increments over time); roll-in business rate is 4% to 3% of rolled-in Gross Sales”; “MAP Fee is 2% of Gross Sales (1% for rolled-in amount for a period); capped at $50,000 per year for new franchisees in 2026” (Item 6). This model applies the percentages, so at low sales the real fee can be higher than shown here.
Item 6, as stored, a year. A fixed fee, so it comes off EBITDA as dollars, not a share of sales.
This brand's Item 19 prints cost or operating-income lines that are not on this page yet. Read them in Item 19 and enter them here.
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.
Item 7 midpoint of $330K to $655K
Item 7's $18K to $116K additional funds are already in the total
Left after the loan payment · per year
The unit's EBITDA minus the assumed loan payment. Before tax, depreciation and any cost your inputs leave out (insurance, accounting and legal, licenses, technology fees): not take-home pay.
Gross sales are not profit. Neither the filing nor a stated assumption on this page supplies direct costs, labor, rent / occupancy and other operating costs. Enter your own (a lease quote, owner calls) and the model runs on it.
Loan of $394K at 10.5% over 10 years, an assumption, not a quote. Return and payback are before tax, depreciation and the costs above. The loan usually needs your personal guarantee.
Buying several existing units? The acquisition scenario
Buying several units
What buying a few existing units could return
Prices an existing operator of a few units off the single-unit EBITDA above, after shared services, and finances it with an SBA 7(a) loan, a conventional loan and a seller note. It shows the yearly return on your cash (IRR), whether year-1 earnings cover the loan payments (DSCR) and how the price is paid for. It starts at 5 units; every deal term is an assumption you can change, and none is from the FDD.
Not modelled yet
Gross sales are not profit. Neither the filing nor a stated assumption on this page supplies direct costs, labor, rent / occupancy and other operating costs. Enter your own (a lease quote, owner calls) and the model runs on it.
This scenario starts from a per-unit EBITDA. Fill in the operating costs in the one-unit model above and it runs on that figure, or take it to the full ROI workbench, where the multi-unit and acquisition models accept your own per-unit economics.
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 · filed by Worldwide Refinishing Systems, Inc.
Financial performance
- Range (low → high)
- $133K→$6.2MSource: 2026 FDD, page 58
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Top and bottom 25%
- $417K→$3.2M
- Bottom group → top group: the top and bottom 25% as the filing reports them
Percentile ranks within Home Services
Each rank is among the Home Services brands that report that figure (the count is under each bar).
vs Home Services medians
How Worldwide Refinishing System 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.
Who are you contracting with?
Worldwide Refinishing Systems, Inc.
Item 1 (the franchisor) · who you're contracting with
The franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Worldwide Refinishing Systems, Inc.
- Predecessor
- Gnu Services Corporation
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- President and Chief Stewarding Officer
- Douglas A. Dwyer
- Incorporated in
- Texas
- HQ
- 4547 Lake Shore Drive, Suite 202, Waco, Texas 76710
- Franchisor revenue
- $3.8M
- latest fiscal year in the 2026 FDD; $3.4M the year before
Overview
About
Franchisees operate a DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen business performing residential and commercial bathroom, kitchen, and interior remodeling, cabinet refacing, safety and mobility modifications, and related services, primarily interior with some exterior remodeling/restoration.
- CEO
- Douglas A. Dwyer
Is the system healthy?
+5 franchised outlets over the two years to 2025 (42 to 47, +11.9% in total, +5.8% a year compounded).
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20 (outlets opened, closed and transferred)
This filing prints its franchised year-end 2025 two ways - 47 in Item 20 Table 1 (p.61) and 44 in Table 3 (p.64) - so no growth figure is shown; the outlet counts are as printed.
Item 20 (outlet counts) · unit dynamics
The growth chart
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
Last fiscal year · Item 20 rates and pipeline
- Signed, not yet open
- 3
- 1 for every 16 open outlets · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 3
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Item 20 · franchised units at year end
Franchised units rose from 42 in 2023 to 47 in 2025
Axis does not start at zero.
Source and method
Government records
SBA loan data
Lenders charged off 16.7% of 12 resolved SBA 7(a) loans, below the 17.8% category median. 7(a) is the SBA's main small-business loan; a resolved loan was paid in full or charged off.
- Loans on file
- 12
- SBA 7(a) loans matched to this brand, incl. those still being repaid
- Loan volume
- $587K
- Average loan
- $49K
- loan volume divided by loans
- Charge-off rate
- 16.7%
- 2 of 12 resolved loans
- Paid in full
- 83.3%
- of resolved loans
- Recent-loan charge-off
- No recent loans
- no SBA 7(a) loan approved since FY2005
- Lenders
- 10
- Average interest rate
- Not on file
- Jobs reported
- 7
- on the 1 loans approved FY2005 on; earlier loans did not record jobs
- Lender concentration
- 17%
- top lender's share
Cumulative: every 7(a) loan matched to this brand in the SBA’s FOIA files, approved FY1991 onward. Historical lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
Benchmark: the median Home Services brand charges off 17.8% (66 brands with a published rate, same cumulative window and source). This brand is near that median.
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Full SBA lending reportlenders · charge-off rate · trend
Lender network · SBA 7(a)
SBA Lending Report
Lender, state and yearly detail for Worldwide Refinishing System from SBA 7(a) FOIA loan records.
- Average SBA guarantee
- 86%
- Lender concentration
- 17%
- Jobs reported
- 7
Top 10 SBA lenders by loan count
| Loans | Volume | Charge-off |
|---|---|---|
| Bank of America, National Association | ||
| 2 | $98K | Not on file |
| Great Southern Bank | ||
| 2 | $95K | Not on file |
| Commerce Bank | ||
| 1 | $35K | Not on file |
| First Interstate Bank | ||
| 1 | $43K | Not on file |
| Wells Fargo Bank National Association | ||
| 1 | $33K | Not on file |
A lender’s rate counts only its resolved loans, the loans that have finished (paid in full or charged off); a 0.0% often means few of its loans have finished. Under 10 resolved loans, the rate reads “Too few”.
Charge-off rate by state (top 10 by loans)
| State | Loans | Charged off | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| KS Kansas | 2 | 2 | Too few2 resolved |
| MO Missouri | 2 | 0 | Too few2 resolved |
| FL Florida | 1 | 0 | Too few1 resolved |
| IN Indiana | 1 | 0 | Too few1 resolved |
| SC South Carolina | 1 | 0 | Too few1 resolved |
| SD South Dakota | 1 | 0 | Too few1 resolved |
| TX Texas | 1 | 0 | Too few1 resolved |
| VA Virginia | 1 | 0 | Too few1 resolved |
| WA Washington | 1 | 0 | Too few1 resolved |
| WV West Virginia | 1 | 0 | Too few1 resolved |
Rate: charged-off loans over resolved loans (paid in full plus charged off), shown from 10 resolved loans. "Too few": under 10 resolved. The Loans column counts every approval in the window, including loans still being repaid.
SBA 7(a) loans approved per year
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA loan-level data, matched to the brand by FranchiseVerdict.
What are the risks?
SBA loans here charge off near the Home Services median of 17.8% (66 brands) (16.7% on 12 resolved loans approved FY1995 to FY1996).
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Verdict grade + FDD Items 3 (litigation), 4 (bankruptcy), 8 (required suppliers), 16 (what you may sell), 21 (audited financials)
Risk and legal
Grade B: Second tier, 56/100 (category median 56); the full grade is at the top of the page.
How the grade is built
Why a B, factor by factor
- Financial health HelpsAudited financials; no going-concern doubt; franchisor net income positive
- Unit economics HelpsAvg gross sales $1.6M on a $492K investment midpoint, 3.2x (gross sales, not profit)
- Unit growth Helps+5 franchised outlets over the two years to 2025 (42 to 47, +11.9% in total, +5.8% a year compounded); the score had no growth figure on file for this brand, so it counted turnover only
- Scale Neutral47 franchised units; franchising since 1975
- Legal HelpsNo litigation naming the franchisor in Item 3
- Transparency HelpsItem 19 discloses financial performance; audited financials
- Adjustments after the six dimensions (-27 points)SBA loan record: the SBA charge-off rate (16.7% on 12 resolved loans approved FY1995 to FY1996) is between 10% and 20%, a range the score counts against a brand, so it took 6 points off. The score uses fixed ranges, not the category median, so a rate below its category median can still cost points.Score limits: a ceiling the method sets for specific risks (such as a very high SBA charge-off rate, high turnover or an auditor's going-concern doubt) took 21 points off.
From the six scored dimensions, an editorial assessment, not investment advice. How the score is built
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
No litigation required to be disclosed.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 9.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before your own operating costs.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12 (territory), 15 (owner participation) and 17 (renewal, termination and disputes)
Contract and territory detail
| Protected territory | Yes |
|---|---|
| Exclusive territory | No |
| Territory population | 200,000 |
| Online sales rights | Reserved by franchisor |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Who runs it (Item 15) | The owner, or a principal the franchisor approves, must run it |
| Non-compete (years) | 2 years |
| Right of first refusal | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 15 days |
| Termination grounds | 7 |
| Curable defaults | 9 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Governing law | Texas |
Items 10 (financing), 11 (training and support)
Training and operations
- Classroom training
- 17 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 0 hrs
- Training location
- Webinar (currently); may be modified to in-person at Waco, Texas headquarters or other designated location
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 12 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee, subject to franchisor approval
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
Items 5 (initial fees) & 11 (training and support)
Franchisor support
Item 20 (outlet counts) · call current owners
Franchisee contacts
Who can you call before you sign?
45 current outlets listed
Each record has a phone number. 3 of 45 also name the franchisee. No cities or states. 45 records. From the filing's Item 20 (the outlet list); the FDD itself is the free source. Our list covers 45 of the 47 franchised outlets Item 20 counts at year end; the owner exhibit prints the rest without a usable phone number, or omits them.
For your own due-diligence calls only. Not for telemarketing, marketing lists, or automated or prerecorded calls or texts.
One-time · CSV download · full refund within 7 days if the data does not match the FDD. Some numbers, especially for former owners, may be outdated.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to open a Worldwide Refinishing System franchise?
Per the 2026 FDD, the total investment to open a Worldwide Refinishing System franchise ranges from $330K to $655K, with an initial franchise fee of $48K – $76K. This is the Item 7 total in the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD): the startup costs the franchisor lists, such as build-out, equipment, inventory and working capital. It usually leaves out buying land or a building; Item 7's notes say what is excluded.
What do Worldwide Refinishing System franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Worldwide Refinishing System FDD, average gross sales were $1.6M (Item 19 group “All reporting franchisees”, 41 franchisees; gross sales, not profit). The median is $1.2M. What an owner keeps depends on location, operating costs and management.
Who owns Worldwide Refinishing System?
Worldwide Refinishing System is franchised by Worldwide Refinishing Systems, Inc. Source: FDD Item 1, 2026 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Worldwide Refinishing System 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 Worldwide Refinishing System FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Worldwide Refinishing System's franchise failure rate?
There is no published franchise failure rate. What is measurable is Worldwide Refinishing System's SBA charge-off rate: 16.7% on 12 resolved loans approved FY1995 to FY1996. Put plainly: 1 in 6 SBA 7(a) loans to Worldwide Refinishing System owners charged off (2 of 12 resolved loans, approved FY1995 to FY1996). The SBA charge-off rate is the share of a brand's resolved SBA 7(a) loans to its franchisees that the SBA wrote off, including purchased guarantees. Resolved means paid in full or charged off; active loans are excluded because their outcome is not yet known. It is a lending outcome, not a count of closed businesses. A franchisee can repay and close, or default and keep trading.
How many Worldwide Refinishing System franchise locations are there?
Per the 2026 FDD, Worldwide Refinishing System has 47 franchised units and 0 company-owned (47 in all). In the latest year, the number of franchised outlets grew by 4. This filing prints its franchised year-end 2025 two ways - 47 in Item 20 Table 1 (p.61) and 44 in Table 3 (p.64) - so no growth figure is shown; the outlet counts are as printed.
Is Worldwide Refinishing System a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict gives Worldwide Refinishing System a B Verdict grade (Second tier) with a verdict score of 56 out of 100 (higher is better), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Helped by financial health (audited financials), unit economics, unit growth, legal record and transparency. The “Why a B” section on this page lists all six dimensions and any adjustment. Speak with current franchisees before making any investment decision.
Other Home Services franchises
Similar investment first, then by grade
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.