Sir Grout operates as a mobile, territory-based hard-surface restoration business. Under the 2026 FDD, the franchisee or Operating Principal runs the business full time, local staff perform estimates and service work, and Sir Grout Franchising, LLC controls the service menu, approved inputs, core technology, Internet Presence, brand standards and major reporting rules.
Data basis. Legal franchisor: Sir Grout Franchising, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Threshold Brands, LLC; parent guarantor: HS Group Holding Company, LLC. FDD issuance date: April 10, 2026. The offer is a Sir Grout® Franchised Business under a Franchise Agreement for each Territory.
Core evidence: 2026 FDD Items 1, 6, 8, 11, 12, 15, 16, 19 and 20; Franchise Agreement; Operations Manual table of contents. Item 20 covers 2023-2025. Checked August 9, 2026. The official U.S. Sir Grout franchise site references the 2026 FDD; no franchise-controlled public FDD copy was located, so FDD citations are unlinked.
What does a Sir Grout franchise sell, and who buys it?
The Franchised Business sells approved restoration and maintenance services for grout, tile, stone and other hard surfaces to homeowners, small-business customers and larger commercial accounts. It is a service business performed at customer properties rather than a retail-store model.
Required and approved service scope
Item 16 requires the franchisee to offer Sir Grout Franchising, LLC's required services: grout and tile cleaning, sealing, caulking and restoration; slip-resistant product application; stone restoration; and coatings for tile, grout, stone, concrete and metal. Sir Grout Franchising, LLC may change approved offerings; unauthorized services are prohibited.
Customer base and service setting
Item 1 identifies homeowners, small-business customers and larger commercial accounts. Brand pages separate residential hard-surface services from commercial services, including hotels, offices, hospitals, restaurants and schools.
Evidence: 2026 FDD, Item 1, pp. 7-8; Item 16, p. 43; official consumer service pages.
How does a customer job move through the Sir Grout system?
The disclosed operating path runs from lead capture and booking through an on-site estimate, approved service execution, final inspection, payment and reporting. The Operations Manual table of contents independently places customer acquisition, estimating, job-day preparation, service procedures, final inspection and maintenance in that sequence.
Demand and inquiry
- Actor
- Franchisor marketing systems plus franchisee local marketing.
- Action
- Generate local demand and receive phone, web or other approved inquiries.
- System/asset
- Internet Presence, toll-free call routing, approved Advertising Materials.
- Output
- Lead or prospective-customer record for follow-up.
Booking and scheduling
- Actor
- Business Center and/or franchisee staff.
- Action
- Handle inbound/outbound calls, schedule or reschedule, confirm appointments and maintain the calendar.
- System/asset
- Designated field service/customer management software and web calendar.
- Output
- Confirmed customer appointment.
On-site estimate
- Actor
- Franchisee, manager or trained staff assigned to estimates.
- Action
- Inspect the surface, build the estimate and present the approved service scope.
- System/asset
- Laptop or mobile device taken to customer estimates; designated estimating software.
- Output
- Quoted scope ready for scheduling or acceptance.
Job preparation and service
- Actor
- Trained service personnel under franchisee/manager supervision.
- Action
- Prepare the work area and perform the authorized cleaning, sealing, caulking, stone-restoration or coating procedure.
- System/asset
- Approved vehicle, equipment, PPE and required/approved products.
- Output
- Completed restoration work; stone restoration only after required stone training.
Inspection and customer follow-up
- Actor
- Franchisee staff; franchisor may prescribe surveys or intervene in unresolved complaints.
- Action
- Complete final inspection, provide post-care information, address inquiries or corrective action, and request customer evaluation when required.
- System/asset
- Operations Manual procedures, evaluation forms and customer records.
- Output
- Closed service issue or follow-up action.
Invoice and payment
- Actor
- Franchisee.
- Action
- Produce the invoice and collect payment using the required processing environment.
- System/asset
- Field service/customer management software, payment-processing service and credit-card terminal.
- Output
- Recorded transaction and customer-payment data.
Records and reporting
- Actor
- Franchisee, with franchisor data access.
- Action
- Track revenue, expenses and inventory; retain business records; submit monthly Gross Revenues reporting and other requested financial information.
- System/asset
- Designated accounting software, field service software and online data access.
- Output
- Royalty Report, retained records and auditable operating data.
Evidence: 2026 FDD, Item 6, p. 18; Item 11, pp. 31-34; Exhibit C, Operations Manual table of contents; Franchise Agreement §§7.11, 7.13, 7.14 and 7.16. The current franchise FAQ also describes centralized call handling and business-management software.
Who performs each function, and how involved must the owner be?
Personal participation is required. The Franchise Agreement requires the franchisee or its Operating Principal to treat the Franchised Business as a full-time job, while Item 15 requires direct supervision by the franchisee, Operating Principal or manager and makes the manager the franchisor's primary operating contact.
The current franchise FAQ says owners may shift from field work toward managing technicians. Franchise Agreement §7.5(b) still requires the franchisee or Operating Principal to treat the Franchised Business as full time; Item 15 requires a manager, when used, to devote full-time best efforts.
Franchisee side
- Direct supervision, estimates and local customer execution.
- Hire, schedule, compensate, discipline and terminate unit employees.
- Maintain trained staff, vehicles, equipment and required technology.
- Respond promptly to customer inquiries and complaints.
Franchisor side
- Defines System Standards and may revise the Confidential Operating Manual.
- Administers CRM access, Internet Presence, Brand Fund and call-routing support.
- Approves Advertising Materials and may inspect vehicles, records and operations.
- Can require technology replacement, additional training and corrective action.
Third-party / affiliate dependencies
- Sir Grout, LLC (SG LLC) is the sole supplier of grout sealers, cleaners and certain cleaning equipment.
- A designated third party hosts and maintains the franchise website.
- Approved vendors supply required software; alternate suppliers are not planned.
- Subcontractors cannot perform required services without advance written franchisor consent.
Evidence: 2026 FDD, Items 8, 11 and 15, pp. 23-25, 31-34 and 42; Franchise Agreement §§7.3-7.11, 7.16 and 7.24; official training and support page.
Which suppliers, technology and assets are mandatory?
The franchisee does not have open purchasing discretion for core operating inputs. Sir Grout Franchising, LLC may designate approved or sole Suppliers, require purchases through its ordering process, prescribe hardware and software, require upgrades, and obtain independent access to most operating data.
| Operating input | 2026 rule | Who controls it |
|---|---|---|
| Sealers, cleaners, certain cleaning equipment | SG LLC is current sole supplier. | Affiliate supply dependency. |
| Field service / customer management software | Designated system is required; purchased from franchisor or approved vendor. | Franchisor specification and access. |
| Accounting / bookkeeping software | Designated system is required. | Franchisor specification; franchisee maintains records. |
| Website / Internet Presence | Designated third-party website vendor; franchisee cannot maintain an independent branded website without approval. | Franchisor owns/controls approved Internet Presence. |
| Payment processing | Franchisor is sole supplier of payment-processing services; PCI-DSS compliance is required. | Franchisor supplier rule; franchisee compliance responsibility. |
| Vehicle and equipment | Vehicle type, wrap, outfitting and required equipment must meet System Standards. | Franchisor specifications; franchisee maintains assets. |
Item 8 lets Sir Grout Franchising, LLC revoke supplier approval, evaluate proposed alternatives and decline an alternate source where a sole supplier exists. Franchise Agreement §7.10 permits required technology replacement or upgrades without a stated frequency cap.
Evidence: 2026 FDD, Item 8, pp. 22-26; Item 11, pp. 33-34; Franchise Agreement §§6.3, 7.8-7.10. Current consumer offerings are summarized on the official Sir Grout services page.
How do Territory and marketing rules shape customer acquisition?
The Territory limits where a franchisee may solicit and accept work, but it is expressly not exclusive. Sir Grout Franchising, LLC agrees not to place another Sir Grout Franchised Business physically inside a compliant franchisee's Territory, while reserving alternative channels, competing brands and other rights.
Territory rules
- Typical Territory: about 100,000 qualified households, currently households with $100,000+ annual income.
- Work in an unassigned territory requires advance written approval, which may be revoked.
- Cross-Territory business requires written permission; leads otherwise must be referred.
- Territory rights do not grant Internet or alternative-distribution exclusivity.
Marketing rules
- Local Advertising is subject to franchisor approval and System Standards.
- Sir Grout Franchising, LLC establishes and controls the approved Internet Presence.
- Brand Fund spending is administered by the franchisor and need not be proportional to a Territory.
- Franchisee social and digital presences can be accessed, revised or removed under disclosed rules.
The official franchise FAQ says “protected territory.” Item 12 is narrower: the Territory is “specific, but not exclusive” and reserves alternative-distribution and competing-brand rights. The Franchise Agreement and Territory attachment control.
Evidence: 2026 FDD, Item 12, pp. 38-39; Item 6, pp. 16-17; Item 11, pp. 31-34.
What does the franchisor control, and what remains with the franchisee?
Sir Grout Franchising, LLC controls the System; the franchisee controls the employer function and local execution within it. The operating boundary is System Standards, Suppliers and data versus staffing, supervision and customer-level execution.
| Decision area | Franchisor control | Franchisee decision / responsibility |
|---|---|---|
| Products and services | Approves, requires, adds or disapproves offerings. | Selects and performs the appropriate authorized scope for a customer. |
| People | Training standards; approval needed for service subcontractors. | Employees are exclusively the franchisee's; hiring, schedules, pay and discipline stay local. |
| Technology and records | Selects systems, may require upgrades and has broad data access. | Maintains hardware, security, accurate records and required reporting. |
| Marketing | Approves materials, controls Internet Presence and Brand Fund. | Executes approved Local Advertising and supplies requested local content. |
| Customer service | May prescribe surveys and intervene in unresolved complaints. | Must respond promptly and pursue feasible corrective action or refunds when appropriate. |
| Work location | Defines Territory and vehicle standards; approves relocation. | May operate from home; a retail storefront is not required. |
What does Item 20 show about the operating network?
Item 20 shows an entirely franchised U.S. outlet population for the reported period. Because the FDD counts each Territory as a “Franchised Outlet,” the chart measures territories under franchise agreements, not the number of distinct franchisee owners.
Interpretation: the reported network expanded from 62 to 91 franchised Territories from year-end 2023 to year-end 2025, while company-owned outlets remained at zero. Item 19 separately says 55 franchisees operated those 91 Territories as of December 31, 2025.
Source: 2026 FDD, Item 20, Tables 1 and 4, pp. 58 and 62; Item 19, p. 50.
Which operating points still need direct verification?
The 2026 FDD details control rights but does not name every technology vendor or resolve every support-service handoff. These gaps affect customer routing, system changes and local discretion.