The Top 7 Painting Franchises in Canada (2023)
Take advantage of these top painting franchise opportunities
By Jake Perry | Updated February 19, 2023
Painting can be a very lucrative business venture. The problem is getting customers coming your way without first building a reputation.
There is, however, a way to remove or at least reduce this barrier to entry and that is by purchasing a painting franchise.
A painting franchise is a business model where an individual buys the rights to use a well-known and established painting company’s name, branding, and systems.
This allows the Canadian franchisee to operate under the umbrella of a more prominent, more reputable company, which can help them get their foot in the door when starting up their own painting business.
Top Painting Franchises in Canada
1. Certapro Painters
| Website | https://certapro.com/franchise/investment/ |
| Established | 1971 |
| First franchise | 1990 |
| Franchise units (2022) | 375 |
| Initial investment | $75,000 |
| Royalty fees | 5% |
| Parent company | FirstService Brands |
| Headquarters | Audubon, Pennsylvania |
Certapro are the old guys on the block, starting back in 1971! Being the most established brand and the most significant painting franchise in North America, this could be a great starting point to invest in a painting franchise.
Certapro cares about painting and the Certapro experience. They want to be sure that each customer is 100% satisfied with their painting project, whether painting the interior or exterior of their home or business.
What we like:
They offer various services, including colour consultations, staining, and painting. They also offer various financing opportunities for Canadian owners to tailor their needs to precisely what they want to do within the franchise.
2. Wow 1 Day Painting
| Website | https://www.wow1day.com/franchise/investment-costs/ |
| Established | 2010 |
| First franchise | 2011 |
| Franchise units (2022) | 67 |
| Initial investment | $63,000 |
| Royalty fees | 6% |
| Parent company | O2E Brands |
| Headquarters | Aurora, Colorado |
With their unique selling proposition (USP) being that they will complete any painting project in 1 day, Wow 1 Day Painting has made quite a name for itself in Canada. This is painting on a whole other level, and their services are in high demand.
Wow 1 Day Painting was founded by Brian Scudamore, best known for 1-800-GOT-JUNK, one of the fastest-growing franchises in North America.
With Brian bringing the same charisma and energy to Wow 1 Day Painting, the franchise is quickly becoming just as successful. Their secret formula is SPEED + QUALITY = WOW!
What we like:
Their painting services are professional and of the highest quality, yet they manage to keep their rates very reasonable. They focus mainly on the residential market but occasionally take on commercial painting leads. Wow 1 Day Painting has been expanding rapidly and has painting franchises in most major Canadian cities.
3. Five Star Painting
| Website | https://franchise.neighborly.com/five-star-painting/ |
| Established | 2004 |
| First franchise | 2007 |
| Franchise units (2022) | 224 |
| Initial investment | $69,700 |
| Royalty fees | 6% |
| Parent company | Neighborly |
| Headquarters | Las Vegas, Nevada |
Specializing in both interior and exterior of residential and commercial properties, Five Star Painting essentially covers everything. They claim to provide 5-star quality without the 5-star prices.
Five Star Painting is part of the Neighborly family, which includes other well-known painting service businesses such as Mr. Handyman, Glass Doctor, Aire Serv, and The Grounds Guys.
With Neighborly’s support, Five Star Painting has painting franchises across the United States, Canada, and Mexico and continues to grow year in and year out.
What we like:
Franchisees get access to various support opportunities, including a protected territory, digital marketing, lead generation assistance, dedicated call center support, systems for how to bid a paint job, and more.
4. 360° Painting
| Website | https://www.premiumservicebrands.com/360-painting |
| Established | 2005 |
| First franchise | 2006 |
| Franchise units (2021) | 133 |
| Initial investment | $50,000 |
| Royalty fees | 6% |
| Parent company | Premium Service Brands |
| Headquarters | Charlottesville, Virginia |
360° Painting is all about quality, and they only use the highest quality paints on the market. With a premium product like this, it’s no wonder that their painting services come with a higher price tag, and they will expect your service to fall in line with the price tag too.
They fit the customer’s schedule and budget around their work and try to make the customer feel special and appreciated. This journey starts from the first consultation call to the final deliverance of the completed work.
What we like:
They cater to both commercial and residential Canadian markets, so you’ll have a broad market to target when you set up one of their franchises. They also help you recruit subcontractors and employees.
5. College Pro Painters
| Website | https://www.franchisehelp.com/franchises/college-pro-painters/ |
| Established | 1971 |
| Franchise units (2021) | 150 |
| Initial investment | $5,000 |
| Royalty fees | 20% |
| Parent company | none |
| Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario |
College Pro Painters offers coaching and development for young entrepreneurs who want a head start in business. With over 20,000 applicants per year, only 1,000 are hired, making it an elusive franchise to get your hands on.
Typically, the exterior painting season is from May to September, which works out great for students as they can work around their studies. College Pro Painters have been in business since 1971 and currently operates painting franchises across Canada and the United States.
What we like:
What sets them apart from other painting franchises is that they take on college graduates and provide them with painting franchises of their own to manage. These young entrepreneurs are then responsible for hiring and managing painting crews of their own, giving them an upper hand when going full-time into the world of entrepreneurialism.
6. Elite Trade Painting
| Website | https://elitetradepainting.com/franchise/ |
| Established | 1991 |
| First franchise | 2016 |
| Franchise units (2021) | 9 |
| Initial investment | $85,000 |
| Royalty fees | 6% |
| Parent company | none |
| Headquarters | Halifax, Nova Scotia |
Elite Trade Painting provides systems that allow scalability and growth for their painting franchises. They have a network of painting contractors they work with to provide painting services to commercial and residential customers.
Elite Trade Painting has been in business since 1991 and started franchising in 2016. In 2021, they had just nine painting franchises across Canada but are looking to grow exponentially in the coming years.
Current Canadian locations (as of 2023) include Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Price Edward Island.
What we like:
Elite Trade Painting is set apart from other painting franchises because of its quality and customer service philosophy. They have a 100% satisfaction guarantee for all of their customers and offer a wide range of services to meet all painting needs. Elite Trade Painting is an excellent option for a painting franchise that focuses on the customer’s experience and values customer feedback.
7. Fresh Coat
| Website | https://freshcoatfranchise.com/cost/ |
| Established | 2005 |
| First franchise | 2005 |
| Franchise units (2022) | 57 |
| Initial investment | $53,000 |
| Royalty fees | 6% |
| Parent company | Strategic Franchising |
| Headquarters | Cincinnati, Ohio |
Fresh Coat is a painting franchise established in 2005 and started franchising the same year. They are a painting company that offers residential and commercial painting services plus franchises internationally, but mainly in the US. They have yet to open a Canadian franchise, but they offer it in Canada, so you could be the first.
The vision of Fresh Coat is to offer exceptional painting training courses to aspiring franchisees to have the knowledge and understanding of running a successful business. The Base Coat program is the preliminary start of the training, completed from the comfort of your home.
What we like:
After completing the in-depth skill training program, the company will grant you an exclusive, protected territory where you can start to market your services. This will guarantee up to a 200,000-person customer market for the minimum franchise fee.
After the first year of business, painting franchisees will be required to attend an annual conference where they will have access to continued education and networking opportunities.
The Benefits of Owning a Painting Franchise
There are many benefits to owning a painting franchise. These include:
- Being your own boss
- Setting your own hours
- Having a flexible job
- Low overhead costs
- Recession-proof industry
- Scalable model
If you like being in control of your own destiny, then owning a painting franchise is an excellent option for you. You get to be your own boss and set your own hours, which means you can work around other commitments in your life.
The painting industry is incredibly versatile, so if you want to change up your services or target market, you can do so with relative ease – providing the franchise allows it.
Painting is an industry that is relatively resistant to economic downturns, as people will still need painting regardless of the economic climate.
FAQs
What Should I Consider When Choosing a Painting Franchise in Canada?
There are a few factors you should consider when choosing a Canadian painting franchise: initial investments, royalty fees, how long the company has been established, training, support, and the franchise’s unique focus.
How Much Money Can You Make Owning a Painting Franchise in Canada?
Painting franchise owners in Canada make between 80,000 to 200,000 Canadian dollars per year. As an example, Wow 1 Day Painting’s average franchise revenue in Canada is $1,095,197. And the average profit margin on revenue for most painting businesses is 10-20%.
Painting franchises have low overhead costs and offer a scalable business model, so there is potential to make a significant amount of money owning one of these businesses.
How Do I Start a Painting Franchise Business in Canada?
The first step is to contact the franchise. The application process is different per company, but generally, you will have a conversation with one of their franchise staff to ensure you meet their requirements. After this, a franchising quote will be built and personalized to your needs.
Following the finalization of payment, there will be a set process of getting set up. Generally, there will be some training to complete at the start, and then you will start establishing your franchise.
Written by Jake Perry
Jake Perry is a writer from the United Kingdom. He travels the world while working from his laptop, learning about new business trends from startups around the world.