Start a Five Star Painting Franchise in 2026

2026 Franchise 500 Rank: #396 Ranked #348 last year

Initial investment: $77K - $185K

Units as of 2025: 256 4.1% over 3 years

If you're a master with a paintbrush, Five Star Painting could be just for you. Five Star Painting is a franchise that helps clients complete their home improvement, commercial remodeling, or new building projects. With quality customer service, this franchise strives to provide clients with top-of-the-line products and results.

After beginning with an idea between five friends in 2002, Five Star Painting took off and began franchising in 2005. Now, it has upwards of 190 locations all over the U.S., as well as a few in Canada.

Why You May Want to Start a Five Star Painting Franchise

By opening a Five Star Painting franchise, you get access to their products and equipment, but you also get the reputation they've built over the years. A good business reputation takes a long time and a lot of effort to produce. By investing in a company that already has a good reputation, you take a lot of work off your shoulders.

You will have someone to help you every step of the way while getting your franchise started and as you grow your company. While working on opening your Five Star Painting franchise, you will have a dedicated “Sure Start Consultant.” After you open, you will have a franchise business coach to help you plan growth and expansion.

What Might Make Five Star Painting a Good Choice?

When you open a Five Star Painting franchise, you become part of the Neighborly family of brands. This is a group of brands that work together to help each other generate business. Being a part of Neighborly multiplies the strength of your marketing campaign. You are no longer the only person working on getting your name out there.

Five Star Painting knows that opening and running a company gets expensive. The company tries to ease some of that burden by giving franchisees access to their software systems and preferred vendor discounts. The vendor discounts get your supplies and products at lower prices than what independent business owners get.

Furthermore, Five Star Painting has partnered with third-party sources that can help franchisees pay for startup fees.

How to Open a Five Star Painting Franchise

To open a Five Star Painting franchise, you should make sure you're financially ready for an initial investment. Your investment cost includes the franchise fee and other potential startup fees. The rest of the investment money pays for equipment, paint, and other items. If you're a veteran, you may qualify for some discounts.

If you meet all the financial requirements, you can get started by contacting a Five Star Painting franchise representative to express your interest. Next, you will submit your personal information and any questions or comments you may have. After that, a franchise developer will contact you to discuss the business, your experience, location and territory, and more.

If everything goes well, they'll invite you to attend a meet the team day at headquarters in Waco, Texas. You will get to see the business in real-time and get any additional questions answered. You will be able to see first-hand if Five Star Painting is a suitable investment for you. Once you have signed the Franchise Disclosure Document, you will begin Five Star’s training program, build an office and plan your grand opening.

Company Overview

About Five Star Painting

Industry	Home Improvement
Related Categories	Painting, Miscellaneous Maintenance Businesses, Miscellaneous Services
Founded	2002
Parent Company	Neighborly
Leadership	David Sutter, Brand President
Corporate Address	1010 N. University Parks Dr. Waco, TX 76707
Social	Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest

Business Overview

Franchising Since	2007 (19 years)
# of employees at HQ	1,100
Where seeking	This company is offering new franchises throughout the US. This company is offering new franchises in the following international regions: Canada
# of Units	256 (as of 2025)

Information for Franchisees

Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a Five Star Painting franchise.

Financial Requirements & Ongoing Fees

Here's what you can expect to spend to start the business and what ongoing fees the franchisor charges throughout the life of the business.

Initial Franchise Fee Definition: The initial fee paid to a franchisor to join their system What you need to know: Found in Item 5 of the FDD, this may be a flat fee, or may vary based on territory size, experience, or other factors.The franchise fee is an up-front (one-time) cost that a new franchisee pays to the franchisor. This fee is usually due at the signing of the franchise agreement and covers the right to use the franchisor's trademarks, name, and related business systems.	$45,000
Initial Investment Definition: The total amount necessary to begin operation of the franchise What you need to know: The initial investment includes the franchise fee, along with other startup expenses such as real estate, equipment, supplies, business licenses, and working capital. This is outlined in a chart in Item 7 of the FDD, showing a range of possible costs from low to high.	$77,450 - $184,600
Cash Requirement Definition: The minimum liquid capital you must have available in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company.	$50,000
Veteran Incentives Definition: A discount or other incentive offered to military veterans who buy a franchise with this company.	20% off minimum franchise fee
Royalty Fee Definition: A ongoing fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis. What you need to know: Most franchisors require franchisees to pay an ongoing royalty fee, which is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD. This fee is typically a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales, but may also be a flat weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	6%
Ad Royalty Fee Definition: An going fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis to support advertising or marketing efforts. What you need to know: This may also be called advertising fee, marketing fee, brand fund fee, and more, but the basic purpose is the same-- to support promotion of the brand systemwide. As with the royalty fee, it is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD, and can be a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales or a weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	2%
Term of Agreement Definition: The length of time your franchise agreement will last. What you need to know: Franchise terms are typically anywhere from 5 to 20 years in length, but are sometimes instead dependent on factors such as the term of your lease. Once your term is up, you may have the option to renew your agreement, typically for a smaller fee than the original franchise fee.	10 years
Is franchise term renewable?	Yes

Financing Options

Some franchisors offer in-house financing, while others have relationships with third-party financing sources to which they refer qualified franchisees.

In-House Financing	Five Star Painting offers in-house financing to cover the following: franchise fee
Third Party Financing	Five Star Painting has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover the following: franchise fee, startup costs, equipment, inventory, accounts receivable, payroll

Training & Support Offered

Franchisors offer initial training programs and a variety of ongoing support options to help franchisees run their businesses.

On-The-Job Training	8-40 hours
Classroom Training	79 hours
Ongoing Support	Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings & Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security & Safety Procedures Field Operations Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing Support	Co-op Advertising Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social Media SEO Website Development Email Marketing Loyalty Program/App

Operations

Additional details about running this franchise.

Is absentee ownership allowed?	No
Can this franchise be run from home/mobile unit? Definition: The business can be run from your home and/or a vehicle, and it is not necessary to have a retail facility, office space, or warehouse.	Yes
Can this franchise be run part time? Definition: This business can be run by the owner on a part-time basis (less than 40 hours per week) and/or as a side business; it is not necessary for the business to be open/run full-time.	No
# of employees required to run	4
Are exclusive territories available? Definition: An exclusive territory is a fixed area in which you are given the right to operate and in which no other units of the same franchise may be opened. What you need to know: Territory size may be based on factors such as radius, population size, zip codes, and more. Details can be found in Item 12 of the FDD.	No