Painter Bros
Disclosure honesty
Painter Bros discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it C.
What their own earnings claim actually says
Discloses affiliate (1 outlet, $8.4M-$5.5M sales 2024-2025) and franchisee data (12 full-time, 9 part-time 2025). Cherry-picks only full-year operators; excludes mid-year openings. Limited sample.
Is Painter Bros worth it? — how it compares to 61 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 7% of sales | lower than most (median 8%) |
| Startup cost | from $295,685 | pricier than 98% of peers |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade C | less honest than most of the category |
| Closure rate | 14.6% of outlets | worse than 90% of peers |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 1 | fewer than most |
Benchmarked against every home & trade services franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a Painter Bros
The franchisor's framing: Discloses affiliate (1 outlet, $8.4M-$5.5M sales 2024-2025) and franchisee data (12 full-t… We reconstruct what an owner actually keeps, from their own FDD.
- Reconstructed owner P&L — net take-home after royalty, ad fund, rent, labor & debt
- Break-even timeline + cash-on-cash ROI
- Full fee stack + required-purchase markups
- Decoded real failure / closure rate
- How it ranks vs comparable franchises
- Validation-call playbook — the exact questions to ask
See a full sample report → · 30-day guarantee
Painter Bros franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Painter Bros franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $295,685–$518,230, including a $75,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Painter Bros franchise owners make?
- Discloses affiliate (1 outlet, $8.4M-$5.5M sales 2024-2025) and franchisee data (12 full-time, 9 part-time 2025). Cherry-picks only full-year operators; excludes mid-year openings. Limited sample. We grade this disclosure C for honesty.
- What is the Painter Bros franchise failure rate?
- 6 part-time closures in 2025; 4 permanent, 2 temporary. High failure rate indicator.
- Is a Painter Bros franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Painter Bros scores C on disclosure honesty, carries about 7% of sales in ongoing fees, and discloses 1 legal matters. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare Painter Bros to similar franchises
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Source: WI DFI Franchise Registration (2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Painter Bros or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.