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The Grout Doctor
The Grout Doctor franchise provides mobile services specializing in residential and light commercial grout, tile, and stone cleaning, sealing, re-coloring, repair, re-grouting, re-caulking, maintenance, refinishing, permanent protective coatings, and supplemental services. Franchisees operate under proprietary marks like 'THE GROUT DOCTOR®' and 'WE CURE SICK GROUT®', using confidential manuals, standards, and systems provided by the franchisor, with required purchases of materials and equipment. The target market includes owners and occupants of residential and commercial buildings seeking specialized tile and grout maintenance.
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Franchise Costs
9% royalty (tiered) + 1.5% ad fund + $285/mo data center fee
Financial Performance
Item 19 Financial Performance
Data Based On: 76 Franchised Grout Doctor® units located in the United States that were open and operating for at least 12 months for the year ended December 31, 2025. This sample includes 70 Standard Franchises open and operating for more than two years, 3 Standard Franchises open and operating 12-24 months, and 3 Non-Standard Franchises open and operating for more than two years.
* Weighted average gross revenue calculated from three segments: 70 Standard Franchises (open and operating more than two years) at $149,340/year, 3 Standard Franchises (open and operating 12-24 months) at $135,300/year, and 3 Non-Standard Franchises (open and operating more than two years) at $31,128/year. The calculation is (70 * $149,340 + 3 * $135,300 + 3 * $31,128) / 76 = $144,119.53. Weighted average of median gross revenues calculated similarly: (70 * $122,644 + 3 * $96,300 + 3 * $5,136) / 76 = $116,965.63. The document explicitly states that financial performance representations do not reflect the costs or expenses that must be deducted from the gross revenue or gross sales figures to obtain net income or profit, therefore gross profit, net income, net profit, and EBITDA figures cannot be extracted or estimated. Revenue quartile data (top 25% or bottom 25% average revenue) is not provided in a directly extractable format, as only ranges and counts of units within those ranges are given.
Extracted Item 19 Section
Avg. Revenue: $144,120
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Unlock financial performance dataThe Grout Doctor Franchise Analysis
Specializing in grout and tile restoration taps into a persistent homeowner pain point that general cleaners often overlook. With Item 19 disclosure offering a clear revenue snapshot and a footprint built over two decades, this mobile service model promises operational simplicity. Yet, subtle signals in expansion pace and fee tiers raise the question: does its affordability mask untapped potential or quiet stagnation?
Item 7 details a lean startup at $24,065-$38,085 total investment, including a $17,500 franchise fee—far below many cleaning service peers averaging $50K-$150K. Ongoing fees include a tiered royalty (9% on first $8K monthly gross, dropping to 6% up to $35K, plus 2% above), 1.5% brand fund, $285/month data center charge, and $60/month product buys. Item 19 reveals average gross revenue of $144,120 across units, a solid figure for this low-overhead category implying potential net profits of 20-30% after costs, though individual results vary by market density and sales hustle. At 78 franchise locations plus 2 corporate since 2001, the system shows resilience with just 2 terminations, 1 transfer, and 3 projected new units—indicating stability over hyper-growth.
This setup suits hands-on operators eyeing home services without massive capital, as the mobile format skips real estate overhead and targets recurring residential/commercial jobs. Unusual perks include proprietary re-coloring tech and protective coatings boosting ticket sizes, while tiered royalties reward scaling beyond $100K annually. However, modest unit growth (under 4/year lately) flags limited franchisor momentum versus booming competitors, and no SBA default data in FDD means digging into public records for loan risk. For risk-averse investors, the low entry and disclosed earnings make it compelling, but success hinges on local lead gen in a fragmented market.
Analysis based on the 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document. All figures should be independently verified before making investment decisions.
How The Grout Doctor Compares
Key Insights
- Lower investment than 93% of Cleaning Services franchises
| Franchise | Investment | Fee | Royalty | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
The Grout Doctor Current | $24K – $38K | $15K | 9.0% | 78 |
| COVERALL COMMERCIAL CLEANING FRANCHISE | $18K – $64K | $16K | 5.0% | 5,669 |
| VCS BUSINESS | $14K – $37K | $5K | 6.0% | 1,914 |
| THE MAIDS | $82K – $160K | $57K | 6.9% | 1,517 |
| Chem-Dry | $119K – $265K | $36K | 7.0% | 1,099 |
| MERRY MAIDS | $127K – $170K | $55K | 7.0% | 802 |
Cleaning Services Average 81 franchises | $174K – $364K | $46K | 7.0% | – |
* Comparison based on latest FDD filings. Investment ranges from Item 7, fees from Item 5. Showing top 5 of 81 Cleaning Services franchises by location count.
Locations & Growth
Outlet Growth Over Time
Total outlets at end of each year
Geographic Distribution (2025)
Outlets by state across the United States
+15 more states
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Unlock location growth dataDue Diligence
Litigation (Item 3)
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
System Health (Item 20)
Franchise system changes reported in the most recent fiscal year
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Unlock due diligence reportsFrequently Asked Questions
The total initial investment to open a The Grout Doctor franchise ranges from $24,065 to $38,085. This includes a franchise fee of $15,000. Ongoing royalty fees are 9.0% of gross sales.
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