Rust-Oleum

What Rust-Oleum does

Rust-Oleum Corporation, founded in 1921 and headquartered in Vernon, United States, is a privately held manufacturer of specialty paints, primers, and protective coatings. The company employs between 1,001 and 5,000 people and serves both consumer and professional end markets through a multi-brand portfolio that includes the core Rust-Oleum line (spray paints, concrete and garage floor paints, wall paints, wood stains and sealers, kitchen/bath/tile coatings, and specialty exterior products) and several wholly owned sub-brands: Zinsser (primers, paints, waterproofing such as WaterTite, wallpaper adhesives/removers including DIF, paint additives and wall repair, and interior wood finishes), Wipe New (surface restoration), Citadel Floors (industrial and commercial floor coatings), Gator Finishing, Modern Masters (decorative coatings), and Seal Krete High Performance (sealing and protective coatings).

The company's underlying technology centers on specialty chemical formulations addressing specific surface-preparation problems: stain-killing primer technology, mold-preventive formulations, odor-blocking coatings (pet, tobacco, fire), waterproofing systems for basements and wet areas, and fast-drying turbo spray application systems (Bulls Eye 123 Turbo Spray, Cover Stain Turbo Spray, B-I-N Turbo Spray). These problem-solving formulations are positioned as technical differentiators versus general-purpose paints.

Rust-Oleum monetizes through one-time product sales across consumer, professional, automotive, and specialty chemical revenue streams. The go-to-market is primarily channel-partner driven: products are sold through physical hardware stores and home improvement retailers across the United States, supplemented by a curated set of recommended online retail partners. The company operates a dedicated Professional Solutions division targeting contractors and commercial projects alongside its consumer channels, and supports demand generation through an extensive video library, an Inspiration Gallery, and a multi-brand digital ecosystem. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; consumers are directed to retail channels for pricing via a store locator.

Name

Rust-Oleum

Legal name

Rust-Oleum Corporation

Website

https://zinsser.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1921

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Rust-Oleum Corporation, founded in 1921 and headquartered in Vernon, USA, manufactures specialty paints, primers, and protective coatings under multiple brands including Rust-Oleum, Zinsser, Wipe New, Modern Masters, and Citadel Floors, distributing through hardware and home improvement retailers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Protective Paints & Coatings

NAICS

Paint, Coating, and Adhesive Manufacturing (3255), Paint and Coating Manufacturing (325510)

SIC

Paints, Varnishes, Lacquers, Enamels & Allied Prods (2851), Adhesives & Sealants (2891), Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial & Protective Coatings (IMAEAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industrial Protective Coatings (Steel/Concrete/Equipment) (IMAIAKAB), Wood Coatings & Finishes (IMADAKAD), Specialty & Functional Coatings (Anti-microbial/Anti-slip/Insulating) (IMAIAKAM)

Keywords

• Protective coatings
• Specialty primers
• Spray paint
• Wood finishes
• Floor coatings

Headquarters

HQ city

Vernon

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Consumer Paints and Coatings: Sale of spray paints, wall paints, wood stains, concrete and floor paints, and specialty paints to retail consumers through hardware stores and home improvement retailers
2. Professional/Contractor Coatings: Sale of professional-grade primers, paints, and coatings to contractors and commercial projects
3. Automotive Products: Specialty automotive paint and coating products for consumer and professional use
4. Specialty Chemical Products: Wallpaper adhesives, removers, wood bleach, spackling compounds, and wall repair products

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Rust-Oleum Corporation manufactures and sells protective paints, coatings, primers, and specialty finishing products under multiple brands including Rust-Oleum, Zinsser, Wipe New, Citadel Floors, Gator Finishing, Modern Masters, and Seal Krete. Its portfolio covers spray paints, concrete and floor paints, wall paints, wood stains and sealers, primers, waterproofing coatings, wallpaper adhesives/removers, and automotive finishes sold to both DIY consumers and professional contractors through retail stores and online retailers in the United States.

Product overview

Rust-Oleum is a manufacturer of protective paints, coatings, and specialty finishing products serving both consumer and professional markets. The portfolio includes core Rust-Oleum branded spray paints, concrete/garage floor paints, wall paints, wood stains and sealers, and specialty coatings. The company has expanded through acquisitions of complementary brands including Zinsser (primers, paints, and woodcare products), Wipe New (surface restoration), Citadel Floors (industrial floor coatings), Gator Finishing, Modern Masters (decorative coatings), and Seal Krete High Performance (sealing products). Zinsser operates as a distinct sub-brand focused on primers that address specific issues like mold prevention, odor blocking, and stain killing, as well as paints for walls and ceilings. Products are distributed through retail stores and online retailers across the United States.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Spray Paint

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Sherwin-Williams: Largest US paint manufacturer with vertically integrated retail stores, residential and commercial paint portfolios, plus acquired brands including Valspar and Krylon. Competes directly with Rust-Oleum across consumer, contractor, and industrial coatings, but at vastly greater scale.
• Hempel A/S: Danish protective and marine coatings manufacturer with growing decorative and industrial exposure. Comparable to Rust-Oleum's protective / functional coatings franchise (anti-mold, waterproofing, anti-corrosion) with overlap in commercial and industrial end-uses.
• Benjamin Moore: Premium US architectural paint brand sold through independent dealers, competing head-on with Rust-Oleum's Zinsser and core Rust-Oleum lines in the consumer/contractor paint segment, with stronger premium-positioning but no protective specialty IP equivalent.
• Glidden: Mass-market architectural paint brand owned by PPG, sold through The Home Depot and independent retailers. Overlaps with Rust-Oleum's consumer wall paints, primers, and interior/exterior coatings at similar mid-tier price points.
• Sika AG: Swiss specialty chemicals manufacturer producing sealants, adhesives, waterproofing, and concrete-protection systems. Comparable to Rust-Oleum's Seal Krete, Zinsser WaterTite, and wallpaper-adhesive lines through shared specialty construction-chemical adjacencies.
• Behr: Architectural paint brand sold almost exclusively through Home Depot, the largest home-improvement channel in the US. Directly competes with Rust-Oleum-branded wall paint, concrete/garage paints, and primers on the same retail shelf.
• PPG Industries: Global coatings giant with strong architectural (Glidden, Olympic) and industrial coatings lines, plus automotive/aerospace finishes. Overlaps with Rust-Oleum's decorative, protective, and automotive product categories through a much broader global portfolio.

Regional players

• Asian Paints: Dominant decorative paint manufacturer in India and a major emerging-markets player, recently expanding in Africa and the Middle East. Comparable as an architectural/decorative paint-led business, but with geographic focus that does not directly compete in Rust-Oleum's US heartland.
• Nippon Paint Holdings: Largest coatings company in Asia by revenue, focused on decorative paints across APAC. A scale and category comparable to Rust-Oleum's decorative paint business, but the Asia-centric operating geography makes it a regional rather than direct US-shore competitor.

Direct peers

• Krylon: Aerosol spray paint brand historically positioned as Rust-Oleum's closest spray-paint competitor, now under Sherwin-Williams. Directly comparable in category (DIY/pro spray coatings), shelf placement, and target buyer (DIYers, hobbyists, light industrial users).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/rustoleum
• Facebookfacebook.com/RustOleum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Rust-Oleum