Painter Bros Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Painter Bros franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
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.
What a Painter Bros franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $75,000 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 5% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 2% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 7% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $295,685 – $518,230 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
Weekly royalty/ad/marketing payments via ACH. $15k minimum initial marketing (3 months). Substantial ongoing tech, CRM, OSHA, training fees.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Painter Bros system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 41 |
| Ceased operations | 6 |
| Closure rate | 14.6% of outlets |
6 part-time closures in 2025; 4 permanent, 2 temporary. High failure rate indicator.
From Item 20 of the FDD 2026. Terminations and ceased operations are the franchisor's own count of owners who stopped — the number the sales pitch leaves out.
Is Painter Bros worth it? — how it compares to 85 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 7% of sales | lower than most (median 8%) |
| Startup cost | from $295,685 | pricier than 99% of peers |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade C | less honest than most of the category |
| Closure rate | 14.6% of outlets | worse than 89% of peers |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 1 | about average |
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 are the Painter Bros franchise fees?
- Painter Bros' FDD discloses a $75,000 initial franchise fee, a 5% royalty on gross sales, a 2% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 7% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. Weekly royalty/ad/marketing payments via ACH. $15k minimum initial marketing (3 months). Substantial ongoing tech, CRM, OSHA, training fees.
- What is the Painter Bros franchise profit margin?
- Painter Bros does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: 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. Recurring fees alone take about 7% of gross sales, before rent, labor, food or debt service. Margin has to be reconstructed from the disclosure, not read off it.
- What is the Painter Bros franchise failure rate?
- 6 part-time closures in 2025; 4 permanent, 2 temporary. High failure rate indicator.
- How many Painter Bros locations are there?
- Painter Bros' FDD reports 41 total outlets, with 6 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Painter Bros have complaints or lawsuits?
- Painter Bros discloses 1 legal matter in Item 3 of its FDD. Item 3 covers the franchisor's litigation history, which is the closest thing to a public record of how it treats franchisees — read the case descriptions, not just the count.
- 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.
Own a Painter Bros? Add your real numbers (anonymous)
We publish only aggregated benchmarks — never your name. Contribute and we'll show you how your numbers compare.
Compare Painter Bros to similar franchises
See all franchises ranked by disclosure honesty →
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.