Painting & Wall Covering Contractors
Industry Profile Report
Dive Deep into the industry with a 25+ page industry report (pdf format) including the following chapters
Industry Overview Current Conditions, Industry Structure, How Firms Operate, Industry Trends, Credit Underwriting & Risks, and Industry Forecast.
Call Preparation Call Prep Questions, Industry Terms, and Weblinks.
Financial Insights Working Capital, Capital Financing, Business Valuation, and Financial Benchmarks.
Industry Profile Excerpts
Industry Overview
The 36,500 painting and wall covering contractors in the US apply paint, stain, coatings, and wall coverings to walls, buildings, bridges, and other structures. Companies may specialize in a particular type of application, such as residential, industrial, or decorative painting. Other services include pressure washing, deck finishing, wood staining, drywall finishing, and exterior waterproofing/sealing.
Risk Of Injury And Illness
Workers are constantly working at heights that require ladders, scaffolding, lifts, or harnesses.
Dependence On The Construction Industry And Economy
Demand for painting and wall covering services is closely tied to the health of the construction industry, which is influenced by the state of the economy.
Industry size & Structure
The average paint and wall covering contractor operates out of a single location, employs 5-6 workers, and generates about $695,000 annually.
- The paint and wall covering contractor industry consists of about 36,500 establishments that employ about 197,200 workers and generate about $25 billion annually.
- The industry is highly fragmented; the majority of firms are small, independent operators. Many painting and wall covering contractors are self-employed.
- Large companies, such as the Brock Group, offer industrial painting as part of a larger portfolio of services.
Industry Forecast
Painting & Wall Covering Contractors Industry Growth
Recent Developments
Nov 15, 2022 - US Home Sales Drop
- New single-family home sales decreased 10.9% month over month and declined 17.6% year over year in September 2022, according to the US Department of Commerce. On a year-to-date basis, new home sales were down 14.3% in the first nine months of 2022 compared to the same period in 2021. According to Freddie Mac, on November 10, 2022, the US weekly average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage was 7.08%. A year ago, the rate was just over 3%. Industry watchers expect new home sales to remain weak as the Fed uses interest rate hikes to bring down inflation.
- US housing affordability fell to its lowest point since the Great Recession in the third quarter of 2022 amid rising mortgage rates, inflation, low housing inventory, and high home prices, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index (HOI). Only 42.2% of new and existing homes sold between July 2022 and the end of September were affordable for households with a median income of $90,000. The third quarter of 2022 marked the second consecutive quarterly record low for housing affordability in more than 10 years. According to the HOI, the median home price in Q3 2022 was $380,000, down from the all-time high of $390,000 set in Q2 2022.
- Sales of existing US homes, a demand indicator for paint and wall covering contractors, fell 1.5% in September from August and were down 23.8% year over year, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). August marked the eighth consecutive monthly drop as rising interest rates slow home sales. NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun said, "The housing sector continues to undergo an adjustment due to the continuous rise in interest rates, which eclipsed 6% for 30-year fixed mortgages in September and are now approaching 7%."
- The Dodge Momentum Index (DMI) increased 9.6% in October 2022 to 199.7 (2000=100), up from the revised September reading of 182.2. The DMI Index is a monthly measure of the first (or initial) report for nonresidential building projects in planning, which has been shown to lead construction spending for nonresidential buildings by a full year. On a monthly basis, the commercial planning component increased by 13%, and institutional rose by 2.9%. An increase in office and lodging projects boosted the commercial planning pipeline. The institutional sector was mixed amid a growing pipeline of recreation and education projects, but the number of healthcare and public planning projects declined. Developers and project owners continue to see healthy demand, despite recession concerns, although continued inflation, high interest rates and materials costs, and labor shortages have the potential to blunt the flow of new projects.
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