Brand Dossier

The Grout Medic

FDD-based analysis. Item-level data. No franchisor input.

The Grout Medic costs $165,600 to $230,500 to open (2026 FDD Item 7), with a Variable fee model fee structure and an average unit volume of $331,330 (median $202,400) disclosed in 2026 FDD Item 19. Concern on Fee Structure and Litigation History, In Line on Unit Economics, Strength on Operator Validation, Deal-Specific reads on Term & Exit Terms. Independent analysis, no commissions, no franchisor revenue.
Not ranked in the Entrepreneur 2026 Franchise 500Home ServicesFDD issued 4/23/2026
Ranking ContextThe Grout Medic is not ranked in the Entrepreneur 2026 Franchise 500. Zorzee is an independent publication and not affiliated with Entrepreneur Media.
Source File2026 Franchise Disclosure Document. Measurement period: Item 19 Covered Period: 2025 fiscal year (year ended December 31, 2025).
About the Brand

About The Grout Medic

The Grout Medic franchises home-based, mobile businesses that provide interior grout and tile cleaning, repair, restoration, recaulking, and protection services to residential and commercial customers, focused primarily on kitchens and bathrooms. Franchisees typically operate from a van or truck plus a home office, serving a protected territory.

Source: Franchise Disclosure Document, rewritten by Zorzee

Investment Summary

The Numbers At a Glance

Total Investment Range
$165,600 to $230,500
FDD Item 7
Franchise Fee
$65,000
Development fee: None. No separate area/multi-unit development fee disclosed in Item 5.
FDD Item 5
Royalty + Fees
Variable fee model
Recurring percentage burden is roughly 10% of Gross Sales (6% Royalty + 2% Marketing Fund + 2% Contact Center Fee), plus fixed weekly fees: Technology Fee $210/week and Accounting & Business Advisory Services Fee $85/week (about $295/week / ~$15,340/year fixed). Contact Center Fee is the greater of 2% of Gross Sales or a ramping weekly minimum ($50/wk first 12 weeks, $100/wk next 12 weeks, $150/wk rest of year one, $220/wk thereafter) with a $770/week cap.
FDD Item 6
Earnings Claim
Yes
Average Unit Metric $331,330. Median Unit Metric $202,400.
FDD Item 19

Every value here comes straight from the FDD; anything not yet source-verified stays blank rather than estimated. The Pro figures and full interpretation unlock with a Pro membership.

The FDD Data Table

Everything the 2026 Filing Discloses

Every data point Zorzee tracks for this brand, in FDD Item order. Missing source data stays blank; Pro-only interpretation remains locked.

Already a Pro member?Read the full dossier →
ItemData PointValueSource
Item 3Litigation Actions (total) 2 actions disclosed FDD Item 3
Item 5Initial Franchise Fee The Initial Franchise Fee is $65,000 (Item 5, p.21). FDD Item 5
Item 5Development Fee None. No separate area/multi-unit development fee disclosed in Item 5. FDD Item 5
Item 6Royalty Fee Royalty 6% of Gross Sales with a $150/week minimum, due Tuesday weekly on the previous week's Gross Sales. Franchisor may not modify the Royalty or Marketing Fund amounts during the initial term. FDD Item 6
Item 6National Media Fund Pro FDD Item 6
Item 6Corporate Ad & Development Fund Pro FDD Item 6
Item 6Total Ongoing Fee Burden Pro Calculated (Item 6)
Item 7Total Investment (low) $165,600 FDD Item 7
Item 7Total Investment (high) $230,500 FDD Item 7
Item 8Required Purchases (food/supplies) Pro FDD Item 8
Item 11Franchisor Assistance Pro FDD Item 11
Item 12Exclusive Territory Pro FDD Item 12
Item 12Territory Size Pro FDD Item 12
Item 15Operating Participation Pro FDD Item 15
Item 17Initial Term Length Pro FDD Item 17(a)
Item 17Renewal Terms Pro FDD Item 17(b)-(c)
Item 17Required Remodel at Renewal Pro FDD Item 17(c)
Item 17Termination Triggers Pro FDD Item 17(f)-(h)
Item 17Transfer Fee Pro FDD Item 17(m), Item 6
Item 17ROFR Provisions Pro FDD Item 17(n)
Item 17Post-Termination Non-Compete Pro FDD Item 17(r)
Item 19Revenue Metric Disclosed Yes: Average Unit Metric $331,330 / Median Unit Metric $202,400 FDD Item 19
Item 20Total Franchised Units (2025) 94 FDD Item 20
Item 20Company-Owned Units (2025) 0 FDD Item 20
Item 20Total System Net Unit Growth (YoY) +33 FDD Item 20
Item 20Terminations Pro FDD Item 20
Item 20Agreements Signed, Not Yet Open Pro FDD Item 20
Item 21Audited Financials Pro FDD Item 21
Pro Data Points Locked
The free table maps every data point to its FDD source. Pro fills in the values and interpretation that require the full read.
Lock In My Founding Rate
The Signal Tracker

Five Signals From the 2026 Filing

Each signal turns one part of the filing into a read a buyer can act on. Strength means the disclosed data is favorable. In Line means it is typical for the category. Deal-Specific means the term is populated but you still have to model it against your own deal. Concern means the disclosed data is a real risk. The read is free. The reasoning behind it is the Pro read.

Fee Structure
Concern
FDD Item 6
The Pro Read

Item 6 stacks three percentage fees plus two fixed weekly fees, so the recurring burden runs roughly ten percent of Gross Sales on top of fixed technology and accounting charges regardless of sales.

Unit Economics
In Line
FDD Item 19
The Pro Read

Item 19 gives a clean consolidated average and median Gross Sales per franchised business for the units that operated the full year, but it excludes roughly a third of outlets, reports gross sales rather than profit, and hides a very wide spread between top and bottom operators.

Litigation History
Concern
FDD Item 3
The Pro Read

FDD Item 3 discloses 2 actions. Case names, allegations, procedural posture, and source quotes are locked in Pro.

Operator Validation
Strength
FDD Item 20
The Pro Read

Item 20 shows a system that grew every year, adding outlets steadily and accelerating, with zero terminations in the latest year and a sizable signed-but-not-open and projected-openings pipeline.

Term & Exit Terms
Deal-Specific
FDD Item 17
The Pro Read

Item 17 pairs a long ten-year initial term and two ten-year renewals with meaningful exit friction and an unusually broad in-term non-compete that reaches nationwide and worldwide.

Five Reads In. The Reasoning Is Locked.
You can see where each signal lands. Pro gives you the why: the math, the source detail, and what to validate before you act.
Lock In My Founding Rate
Item 19: Earnings Disclosure

What the Earnings Claim Says, and What It Does Not

Item 19 earnings data is disclosed for The Grout Medic. The full disclosure is free below; Zorzee's read of what it means stays in Pro.

What the Claim Discloses
Average Unit Metric
$331,330
Median Unit Metric
$202,400
Sample Size & Coverage
See notecoverage detail
Covered Period = 2025 fiscal year (ended 12/31/2025). Table A reports total Gross Sales of $17,560,515 across 53 Franchised Businesses (operated by 35 franchisees) that were open the entire year under the same franchisee. Headline uses the per-Franchised-Business consolidated figures: average $331,330, median $202,400. Analysis excludes 28 franchisees operating 31 Franchised Businesses that were not open the full year or were not using the CRM in a manner allowing disclosure, so 53 of 94 year-end franchised outlets are shown. No system-wide high/low or percent-above-average is printed for the combined row (high/low appear only in the quartile and operational-year tables), so those fields are null. All figures are Gross Sales, not profit.
Item 19 Covered Period: 2025 fiscal year (year ended December 31, 2025)
What the Disclosure Excludes
Expenses, net income, owner compensation
Gross revenue is not profit
What the Number Doesn't Tell You
Free, because misreading Item 19 is one of the costliest mistakes a first-time buyer can make.
  • Item 19 reports the disclosed sales or revenue metric. That is not profit, and not a forecast of what you would personally take home.
  • An average and a median are not the same number. Know which you are shown and how far apart they sit.
  • What reaches you is whatever survives operating costs and debt service. Item 19 never shows that figure.
Earnings Read Locked
Pro turns the disclosed fields into a read: whether the average is trustworthy, what the disclosure leaves out, and the year-one revenue number Zorzee would underwrite.
Lock In My Founding Rate
Unit Count and Trajectory

A System Still Expanding

Total Units
94
As of 2025, FDD Item 20
Franchised
94
As of 2025, FDD Item 20
Company-Owned
0
As of 2025, FDD Item 20
Total System Net Change (YoY)
+25
As of 2025, FDD Item 20
Total System Units, Latest Available FDD Years
61
2023
69
2024
94
2025

The Grout Medic trajectory is shown only where source-backed. Missing Item 20 fields stay blank inside the locked layout instead of removing the section.

Source: FDD Item 20 where present. Total system units, franchised plus company-owned. Not financial advice.

Beyond the Net Number
A net unit count is not the same as healthy stores. Pro breaks out openings, closures, terminations, and what the trajectory signals.
Lock In My Founding Rate
Litigation History

What FDD Item 3 Discloses

2 actions disclosed in FDD Item 3. Case-level detail remains locked in Pro.

Case 01
Item 3 action disclosed
Case-level detail locked in Pro
The Read · Pro
Case 02
Item 3 action disclosed
Case-level detail locked in Pro
The Read · Pro
What a Litigation Count Doesn't Tell You
Free, because a raw lawsuit count is one of the most misread lines in any FDD.
  • A count means nothing without scale and time. Always compare it to system size and years covered.
  • The pattern matters more than the total. Repeated allegations matter more than isolated disputes.
  • Concluded and open matters are not the same weight. Open matters require different diligence than old resolved matters.
Litigation Read Locked
Pro gives the case-by-case read: allegations, status, scale context, and whether any pattern matters long before signing.
Lock In My Founding Rate
Editorial Analysis

The Zorzee Read

The Zorzee Take
The editor's synthesis: what the filing actually means once the numbers, diligence, and operator reality are weighed against each other. The Take names what matters, what does not, and what must be validated before any decision.
The Read · Pro
The Inversion
Charlie Munger's rule: to understand a thing, study how it fails. Zorzee stress-tests every brand against forecasting, site selection, management depth, and exit math. The framework is free. Which modes bite hardest for this brand, and the fix for each, is the read.
The Failure-Mode Read · Pro
The Editorial Read Is Locked
Pro unlocks the full Zorzee read on The Grout Medic: the editorial synthesis, the math behind the numbers, and the failure modes the filing reveals. Zorzee briefs the decision; you make it.
Lock In My Founding Rate

Zorzee editorial. Independent analysis. No franchisor review or approval. Not financial advice.

The Decision

You've Seen the Filing. The Read Is Still the Missing Piece.

The filing tells you what The Grout Medic costs to open. Pro adds the read on whether the numbers work for you, in your market, and whether this brand is a business or a job you bought.

Already a Pro member?Read the full dossier →
Lock In the Zorzee Pro Founding Rate
$9/month or $90/year
Founding rate, locked for life. Cancel anytime.
Founding rate closes October 1, 2026
This Dossier
  • The full read behind all five Signal Tracker verdicts
  • Pro FDD data points from fee burden through Item 17 and audited financials
  • The Item 19 earnings read where disclosed
  • The litigation and system-health read
  • The Zorzee Take and failure-mode analysis
Your Pro Membership
  • The Zorzee Report Pro every Tuesday, one franchise decoded each week
  • The full Signal Tracker across the portal
  • The Zorzee Files: FDD guides, DCF templates, and pro forma models (coming soon)
Lock In My Founding Rate

Four months of research and more confused than when you started?

You've seen the filings and the numbers. What none of it tells you is whether this is a business that fits your money and your life. That is what fifteen minutes with a Zorzee-approved independent Franchise Consultant is for: whether this brand belongs on your shortlist, and what to validate before it does. Working with one costs you nothing and carries no obligation. Your franchise fee is the same whether you use one or not.

Book My Free Zorzee Clarity Call
How does the consultant get paid, and is your analysis really neutral?

A Zorzee-approved Franchise Consultant never charges you. A franchisor pays the consultant a commission only if and when you decide to invest in a franchise they introduced you to. The analysis on this page earned nothing the moment you read it, no matter what you do next. That firewall is structural, not a promise: Zorzee's editorial earns no commission from franchise placements.

Zorzee earns no commission from franchise placements.

Related Dossiers

Compare the Category

More for Pro readers: Browse the Signal Tracker library and get The Zorzee Report Pro.

FAQ

The Grout Medic Franchise Questions, Answered

How much does a The Grout Medic franchise cost?

A The Grout Medic franchise costs $165,600 to $230,500 to open, disclosed in FDD Item 7 of the 2026 filing, covering the franchise fee, buildout, equipment, and working capital to breakeven. No commissions, no franchisor revenue, independent analysis only.

What are the royalty and fees for The Grout Medic?

The Grout Medic uses a Variable fee model fee structure, disclosed in FDD Item 6.

What does The Grout Medic disclose in FDD Item 19?

Item 19 for The Grout Medic discloses an average unit volume of $331,330 (median $202,400) in the 2026 FDD. The figure is gross sales, not profit. Zorzee's read of what it excludes is in the Pro dossier.

What is The Grout Medic's average unit volume?

The Grout Medic's average unit volume is $331,330 (median $202,400) in the 2026 FDD. The figure is gross sales, not profit. Zorzee's read of what it excludes is in the Pro dossier.

Does The Grout Medic have any lawsuits or litigation?

The Grout Medic's FDD Item 3 discloses 2 legal actions. A raw count means little without scale and time, so weigh it against the system's 94 units and the years covered. The case-level detail is the Pro read.

Is The Grout Medic a good franchise investment?

Zorzee does not rate franchises good or bad; it reports what the filing discloses so you can judge fit. The Grout Medic shows Concern on Fee Structure and Litigation History, In Line on Unit Economics, Strength on Operator Validation, Deal-Specific reads on Term & Exit Terms. Whether it fits depends on your capital, your market, and your operating style. Independent analysis, no franchisor revenue.