If you’re exploring franchise opportunities and want a model that delivers recurring revenue, flexibility, and growth potential, you’ve probably come across Sir Grout Franchise. Below is a deep dive into what Sir Grout really offers—both its strengths and its downsides—and how it stacks up against a cleaning business franchise model like Assett Franchise, led by Matt Pencarinha, which is built for people aiming for $1M+ recurring revenue, often semi-absentee.
What Is the Sir Grout Franchise Opportunity?
Company Overview and Industry
- Type of Franchise
Sir Grout is a hard-surface restoration franchise. That includes services like tile, grout, and natural stone restoration, slip-resistant coatings, sealing, color enhancement treatments, and more. - Founding Year and Expansion History
Founded in 2004, the first unit franchised around 2006-2007. Over the years it has grown to dozens of U.S. units. It is now part of the Threshold Brands portfolio (as of 2021) which gives it access to broader support within a multi-franchise network. - Number of Locations and Notable Milestones
Sir Grout has roughly 70+ locations in the United States. Some sources place the number of franchised outlets at 71 according to Franchise Grade. It has been recognized by Entrepreneur as a top tile/grout/stone restoration franchise in its category for several years.
What Franchisees Get
- Services the Franchise Offers
Sir Grout franchisees provide a range of hard-surface renewal and restoration services such as:
• Tile and grout cleaning & sealing (including proprietary color sealing)
• Natural stone restoration (marble, etc.)
• Paver, steel, and cement cleaning & sealing
• Color enhancement treatments and durable protective coatings (e.g. MicroGuard)
• Ongoing maintenance work (residential mostly, but also commercial & property management/real estate partnerships) - Support Systems, Tools, or Training Provided
Sir Grout offers a “Right-Start” or “Start Package” which includes equipment, proprietary products, tools, and training. There is classroom training plus hands-on field/technical support. The start-up support also includes business systems: scheduling, invoicing, lead generation, vendor relationships, marketing support, etc. They also have a national call center to help with customer intake and lead generation. - Customer Base (Residential vs Commercial)
The bulk of Sir Grout’s business is residential (homes, kitchens, bathrooms), with an increasing push into commercial work, real estate partnerships, property management, insurance restoration, and existing B2B channels. For example, one recent Seattle franchisee said ~95% residential, but is trying to grow the commercial side.
Startup Costs and Ongoing Fees
Here are the financial requirements and ongoing costs associated with a Sir Grout Franchise (U.S.):
| Type of Cost | Amount / Details |
|---|---|
| Initial Investment (Total) | $127,375 to $197,720. This includes all startup costs, equipment, vehicle wrap, opening costs, etc. |
| Franchise Fee | $60,000 upfront. |
| “Right Start” Package / Opening Costs | $10,900-$14,500 for Right-Start, $4,750-$10,350 for opening costs; vehicle & wrap costs variable ($9,500-$56,000) depending on vehicle choice & wrap. |
| Additional Startup Costs | Insurance, technology, local advertising, permits & licenses, prepaid insurance, etc. |
| Minimum Financial Requirements | Typically a minimum net worth around $300,000, with liquid capital around $70,000 in many cases. |
| Ongoing Royalty Fee | 6% of gross revenue. |
| Marketing / Ad Fund Fee | Some sources mention ~ $1,250 per month minimum, or local advertising spend upfront; specific marketing fund percentages are less consistent in public documents. |
- Earnings / Performance Metrics
• Average Unit Volume (AUV) somewhere around $482,000/year (as per a recent summary from 2025 data) for Sir Grout franchisees.
• Another source lists $521,885 as average per-unit revenue.
• Profit margins are less publicly detailed; some sources assume operating profit margins around ~15% (but that depends heavily on location, cost of labor, vehicle & travel expenses, and how effectively marketing / lead generation is managed) as an illustrative number.
How the Industry Itself Compares
To decide whether Sir Grout is a good opportunity for you, it helps to compare its industry (hard surface restoration, home services) to the commercial cleaning industry. I’ll be honest about both sides, then show where cleaning (and specifically Assett Franchise) often has better long-term stability, scalability, and earning potential for someone looking to build a business like the one you’re describing.
Sir Grout Industry Advantages
- Niche Specialization with Proprietary Processes — Sir Grout has proprietary products (e.g. its ColorSeal process), specialized restoration knowledge, etc., which can provide differentiators.
- Home-Based / Mobile Model — No need for retail storefronts, lower fixed overhead in terms of real estate. Vehicle wrap / mobile operation is fine.
- Appeal to Homeowners — Many people prefer to restore rather than replace; refurbishing tile, grout, and stone can be less expensive than full renovation, which provides a value proposition. Also, aesthetic degradation and maintenance issues are visible and motivate service. Sir Grout’s services often have a very visual, satisfying transformation to show clients.
- Multiple Revenue Streams — Residential work, property management, real estate partners, insurance restoration, etc. Diversification helps during slower periods.
- Recession-Resilient to a Degree — While homeowners may delay non-urgent renovations, maintenance and restoration work tends to still be needed (dirty grout, worn stone floors) even during slow economic times. Replacing whole surfaces is costlier, so restoration is a more affordable alternative.
- Strong Brand Recognition and Support — As part of a larger brands portfolio (Threshold Brands), with established processes, training, national marketing, support systems (call centers, lead gen).
Compared to Commercial Cleaning Industry
Below are key areas where a cleaning business franchise—especially one built like Assett Franchise—tends to offer advantages, particularly for someone aiming for $1M+ recurring revenue, semi-absentee ownership, and long-term stability.
| Factor | How Sir Grout’s Industry Faces Challenges | How Commercial Cleaning (Assett Franchise) Excels |
|---|---|---|
| Market Size & Demand Predictability | Home services/restoration is large, but heavily tied to homeowner budgets, economic cycles, and sometimes seasonality. Some services are postponed in downturns. Commercial clients may have longer lead times. | Commercial cleaning is essential, needed by offices, schools, medical facilities, warehouses, regardless of broader economic swings. Once contracts are secured, income tends to be recurring and more stable. The market size (over $100B) is very large. |
| Recurring Revenue | Some recurring maintenance contracts, particularly in property management, but many jobs are one-off (restoration) or occasional. Upsell is important. | Recurring contracts are the backbone: regular cleaning schedules, yearly/ongoing service contracts. Predictable revenue stream helps with cash flow and valuation. |
| Scalability | To scale Sir Grout, you need more service vehicles, more technicians with specialized skills, more travel between jobs that may be spread out. Some physical demands. | Commercial cleaning scales cleanly: add technicians, sometimes supervisors; more accounts; territory expansion without huge capital for specialized restoration tools. Less product complexity in many cases, less need for high-skill restoration training (depending on level). |
| Operational Complexity | Restoration services require trained staff, specialized chemicals and processes, quality control is key, dealing with warranty claims, matching stone, etc. There’s a technical side (stone polishing, sealing, etc.) that adds risk. Also logistics for vehicle, travel time, consumption of supplies, etc. | Cleaning businesses have simpler workflows (clean, sanitize, maintain). Tools and supplies are more standardized; fewer technical mistakes can go disastrously wrong. Systems are easier to train, hire, and manage. |
| Cost of Entry and Overhead | Sir Grout’s startup cost (over $120K – $190K), plus vehicle, specialized equipment, proprietary product costs, and variable operating expenses including travel to residential locations, supply costs, etc. These costs are real and can eat margins. | Commercial cleaning often requires lower specialized costs. Equipment is less expensive, or leased, tools more standardized. Overhead can be lower; business can be started with fewer capital intensive specialty supplies. Real estate often minimal if home-based. |
| Semi-Absentee Possibility | Possible, but more difficult. Because many jobs are hands-on/restoration heavy or require technical oversight. Residential jobs tend to need quality control, customer satisfaction is visible, and delays can damage reputation. Scaling to semi-absentee will require strong management of technicians and operations. | Assett type commercial cleaning franchises are often designed for the owner to work on the business: hiring, oversight, sales, contracts. With good systems, you can delegate/distance some portions and run semi-absentee with consistent performance. |
| Risk Factors | Dependence on customer satisfaction, weather/season effects (some exterior or grout work might get delayed), competition with general contractors or local restoration companies, pricing pressure, product/chemical costs volatility. Also, a lot of residential work means dealing with homeowners who have higher expectations, more variability, sometimes disputes. | Lower variability (commercial clients tend to have more formal contracts, less emotional buying, fewer last-minute changes). More stable cash flows. Fewer “deal breaker” quality perceptions or ad hoc delays. Regulatory/safety concerns exist but generally more manageable in cleaning. |
How the Assett Franchise Compares
Given the comparison above, here’s how Assett Franchise (led by Matt Pencarinha) matches or outperforms in key areas based on how you’ve structured its model, particularly for people wanting $1M+ recurring revenue, semi-absentee ownership, and growth according to bizbuysell.com.
Simpler Systems, Bigger Potential
- Already in the Commercial Cleaning Industry
Assett operates in commercial B2B cleaning, which inherently tends to be more stable and less variable than residential restoration. Your prospective franchisees won’t have to deal with as many specialized, technical restoration jobs with high risk of dissatisfaction, or the visually heavy expectations of homeowners expecting perfection. - Built for Owners Who Want to Work On the Business, Not In It
With the right systems, Assett can be scaled, delegated, with leadership, managers, supervisors. The commercial cleaning model allows scaling client contracts, quality control, etc., using standardized processes. For someone wanting semi-absentee ownership, that is more feasible in commercial cleaning. - Proven Model with $1M+ Recurring Revenue Potential
You’ve positioned Assett so that top franchisees can reach over $1M in recurring revenue. Given that commercial cleaning clients often sign ongoing contracts (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, etc.), once you build a stable book of business and good margins, hitting $1M is more accessible. Sir Grout’s average unit revenue is below that in many reports (~$480K to $520K), so Assett has an advantage in scaling larger. - No Need for Industry Restoration Experience — Full Playbook Provided
Cleaning businesses, especially commercial ones, while needing good hiring, client relations, and quality control, are less technically demanding in terms of restoration skills or matching stone or grout. This means a lower barrier for newcomers, which aligns with your target buyers who are leaving careers and may not have home services/restoration background.
Automated Hiring = Time and Money Saved
One of the biggest recurring challenges in franchises is the labor side: hiring quality techs, retaining them, training them. Your model’s automated hiring system (if you build it right) can reduce that headache.
- Time Saved
By automating hiring, screening, training, you can save owners many hours per week that they’d otherwise be managing staff. This is especially critical for semi-absentee operators. - Quality & Consistency of Workforce
With standardized hiring, Vetting, training, and oversight, you reduce risks around poor quality, no-shows, turnover—issues that hit restoration businesses (including Sir Grout) hard because clients notice delays, mistakes, etc. - Cost Savings
Hiring mistakes are expensive (wasted time, rework, negative reviews). A systemized hiring process helps your franchisees avoid these costs, preserving margin.
Personalized and Founder-Led
- Family-Owned / Founder Access
When franchisees feel they can access leadership directly (e.g. Matt Pencarinha) rather than being a small fish in a private-equity owned conglomerate, it matters. You can often move more nimbly, respond to feedback, iterate your systems. Many potential franchise buyers prefer that level of closeness. - Community-Focused Mission
If your model emphasizes shared growth, local presence, quality, trust—and aligns with values such as employer of record, responsible operations—that tends to build stronger local reputations and referral pipelines.
Final Thoughts
Sir Grout is a solid franchise opportunity. For many people, especially those who enjoy working with tangible, transformative, specialized services and don’t mind being hands-on technically, restoring tile, grout, and stone can be satisfying and profitable. It offers niche differentiation, decent average unit revenues, and mobile/home-based operations, which minimize real estate overhead. If your goal is to do work that “wows”, Sir Grout delivers that.
However, for someone whose priority is building a scalable, stable business with predictable recurring revenue, low operational complexity, faster path to $1M+ revenue, and semi-absentee ownership, a commercial cleaning business franchise like Assett Franchise often offers more advantages.
If you’re exploring franchise opportunities and want a model that can deliver long-term income, flexibility, and control — we’d love to show you how Assett Franchise can help you build a business that works for your life. Visit https://assettfranchise.com to connect with our team and learn more.
