CertaPro

What CertaPro does

CertaPro Painters (legal: Certa ProPainters, Ltd.) is the largest North American commercial and residential painting franchise, founded in 1992 and headquartered in Audubon, Pennsylvania. The company operates through 350+ franchise locations supported by a network of 7,000+ painters across the United States and Canada, serving individual homeowners, commercial property managers, and enterprise clients via its National Accounts program. It operates within a $60 billion addressable market and estimates approximately 2% market share.

The core offering spans interior and exterior painting for residential and commercial properties, with expanded service lines including brick painting, limewashing, and cabinet refinishing. The underlying technology stack centers on the CertaOne business management platform used by franchisees for estimating, CRM, and operations. National partnerships with Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore provide paint procurement, and the company has accumulated 80,000+ five-star customer reviews, reflecting strong brand equity and a 25+ year streak on the Entrepreneur Franchise 500 (including Hall of Fame).

CertaPro is a wholly-owned subsidiary of FirstService Brands, part of FirstService Corporation (NASDAQ: FSV, TSX: FSV), which provides corporate infrastructure and access to adjacent property-services brands. Revenue mechanics are primarily franchise royalties and fees (typically 5–8% of gross sales), supplemented by corporate-owned unit revenue, National Accounts program fees, vendor partnerships, and training/conference revenue. Average franchise gross sales were reported at $2,102,015 in 2025, implying system-wide gross sales of roughly $735M+. The business model is asset-light at the franchisor level, with revenue growth driven by net new franchise unit openings, same-franchisee sales growth, service-line expansion, and selective corporate-owned acquisitions (e.g., the February 2025 acquisition of the San Francisco territory).

Name

CertaPro

Legal name

Certa ProPainters, Ltd.

Website

https://certapro.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

CertaPro Painters is the largest North American painting franchise, operating 350+ locations and 7,000+ painters serving residential homeowners and commercial/enterprise clients via a franchise royalty model. It is a subsidiary of FirstService Corporation (NASDAQ: FSV) and addresses a $60B market.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Painting Services

NAICS

Painting and Wall Covering Contractors (23832)

akta.pro primary industry

Painting, Decorating & Wallcoverings (IMAFANAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interior Painting (Walls, Ceilings, Trim) (HSAPAHAA), Exterior Painting (Siding, Stucco, Masonry) (HSAPAHAB), Architectural & Decorative Painting (Interior/Exterior) (IMAIAKAA), Exterior Painting & Surface Coatings (HSAPAKAF)

Keywords

• Residential painting services
• Commercial painting services
• Painting franchise network
• House painting contractors
• Property maintenance painting

Headquarters

HQ city

Oaks

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Franchise Royalties and Fees: Revenue generated from franchise ownership including initial franchise fees and ongoing royalties from franchisees. In 2025, average gross sales for a US franchise was $2,102,015.
2. Residential Painting Services: One-time project-based painting services for homeowners including interior painting, exterior painting, and related preparation/repair services
3. Commercial Painting Services: Project-based commercial painting for property types including offices, healthcare, retail, hospitality, schools, industrial facilities, and government buildings. National Accounts program coordinates multi-location projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

CertaPro Painters is the largest franchised residential and commercial painting services company in North America, operating through 350+ locally owned and operated franchise businesses across the United States and Canada. The company provides professional interior and exterior painting services, cabinet refinishing, color consultation, drywall repair, deck staining, power washing, lead paint remediation, and related preparation services. Revenue is generated through franchise royalties and fees as well as project-based painting service revenue across both residential and commercial customer segments.

Product overview

CertaPro Painters is a franchised residential and commercial painting services company operating as a network of over 350 locally owned and operated businesses across the United States and Canada. The core offering consists of Residential Painting Services (including Exterior House Painting and Interior House Painting) and Commercial Painting Services (including National Accounts for multi-location coordination). The company also offers an extensive portfolio of add-on services including Cabinet Refinishing, Color Consultation, Concrete Staining and Epoxy Finish, Crown Molding Painting, Drywall Repair, Deck Staining, EPA Lead Paint Remediation, Light Carpentry, Limewashing, Power Washing, Stucco Repairs, Wallpaper Removal, and Home Siding Painting. The company differentiates through its proprietary Certainty Service System methodology and supports franchise operations with software tools, estimating systems, and strategic relationships with paint manufacturers Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore. The franchise ownership program enables entrepreneurs to build painting businesses with brand backing and operational support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Residential Painting Services
• Commercial Painting Services
• National Accounts Program
• Franchise Ownership Program
• Cabinet Refinishing and Repainting
• Color Consultation
• Drywall Repair
• Power Washing
• Deck Staining
• EPA Lead Paint Remediation
• Wallpaper Removal
• Brick Painting and Limewashing
• Light Carpentry and Repairs
• Certainty Service System

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 80,000 five-star painting reviews
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Seventh consecutive year of partnership (2025). Campaign runs October-November with franchisees donating percentage of painting projects. $50 funds one hour of research. If goal of $165k is met, funds 3,300 hours of research or 66 patients' enrollment in clinical trial. Total raised since 2019: over $700,000.
• Breast Cancer CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partnership for Paint it Pink campaign supporting breast cancer research. Campaign raised over $830,000 total since inception in 2019 across both BCRF and Breast Cancer Canada partnerships.
• Sherwin-WilliamscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic relationship with paint manufacturer providing special rates for CertaPro Painters franchises. Relationship developed to provide competitive pricing and quality paint products.
• Benjamin MoorecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic relationship with paint manufacturer providing special rates for CertaPro Painters franchises. Premium paint and stain products for home interiors and exteriors.
• FirstService BrandscoreOthersParent company subsidiary relationship. CertaPro Painters is a subsidiary of FirstService Brands, the leading North American brand in property services. FirstService Brands includes California Closets, Floor Coverings International, Paul Davis Restoration, Pillar To Post Home Inspectors, BrandPoint Services, and TLS.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• 360° Painting: National residential and commercial painting franchise system with similar franchise-based GTM, comparable service offerings, and competing directly with CertaPro for franchise owners and customers across the US.
• Five Star Painting: Residential and commercial painting franchise system owned by Authority Brands; competes head-to-head with CertaPro in both franchise recruitment and end-customer painting services.
• Fresh Coat Painters: Franchised painting services company operating with a similar franchise model; directly comparable in target customer, services offered, and franchisee recruitment.
• That 1 Painter: Emerging residential and commercial painting franchise brand; competes with CertaPro on franchise opportunity and direct-to-consumer painting services in overlapping geographies.
• Painters USA: Direct commercial and industrial painting contractor serving national accounts; comparable in commercial painting services and multi-site project delivery even though not franchise-based.
• College Pro Painters: Student-run residential painting franchise targeting homeowners for exterior and interior repaints; competes with CertaPro in the residential segment with a different operating model but overlapping customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Sherwin-Williams: Largest North American paint manufacturer and CertaPro's strategic vendor partner; competes indirectly through commercial painting contractor services, product sales, and color tools while also serving as a critical supplier to CertaPro franchisees.
• Benjamin Moore: Premium architectural paint manufacturer partnered with CertaPro; overlaps in commercial painting services and DIY retail channels, while serving as a key product supplier to CertaPro franchisees.

Others

• Neighborly: Parent company of multiple home-services franchise brands (including direct painting peer Fresh Coat Painters); comparable as a multi-brand franchisor strategy in the home services space, though broader in scope than CertaPro's painting focus.
• Angi (formerly Angie's List): Leading online marketplace connecting homeowners with service professionals including painters; comparable as a customer-acquisition channel that competes with CertaPro's organic and corporate lead-generation model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/certapropaintersusa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/certapro-painters
• Instagraminstagram.com/certapro
• Pinterestpinterest.com/certapro
• Xx.com/certapro

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CertaPro