Painting contractors do so much more than just paint: These contractors often have experience with protective coatings and sealants, abrasion and blasting, and site preparation as well as with standard painting, and many also provide services in emergency protection such as waterproofing and fireproofing.
In a time when a lot of contractors are struggling, these companies have put in serious work within the painting sector. In fact, this year some of them even rocketed their way past others to join Engineering News Report’s (ENR) list of the top 20 painting contractors after being previously unranked. Let’s look at the top 10 largest painting contractors in the U.S. in 2023.
| Rank | Company | Revenue | Previous Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ASRC Industrial | $235.1 million | 2 (+1) |
| 2 | Cherry Coatings | $102.6 million | 4 (+2) |
| 3 | Champion Painting Specialty Services Corp. | $102.1 million | 3 |
| 4 | Graydaze Contracting Inc. | $98.3 million | 5 (+1) |
| 5 | Apex Imaging Services | $97.5 million | 20 (+15) |
| 6 | Hartman Walsh Industrial Services | $62.5 million | 10 (+4) |
| 7 | Harrison Contracting Co. | $57.1 million | 9 (+2) |
| 8 | Ascher Brothers Co. Inc. | $53 million | 6 (-2) |
| 9 | Thomarios | $47.8 million | 9(-1) |
| 10 | Avalotis Corp. | $46.2 million | 13 (+3) |
1. ASRC Industrial
2021 revenue: $235.1 million
Previous rank: 2
Contracting group ASRC Industrial is a collection of companies that offer services in maintenance, mechanical, demolition, engineering, and other specialty services. A number of the group’s affiliate companies offer painting services, with work available in industrial coatings, inspection, marine coatings, shop coatings, tank linings and coatings, and specialty coatings.
Related: The 10 Biggest Concrete Contractors in the U.S. in 2023
ASRC Industrial’s reach in the industry goes a long way, as well, with the group being recognized as the 35th-largest specialty contractor of any kind in the country along with its rank as a painting contractor. This reach also provides for its affiliates to be able to work in a large geographical range, with services offered across the U.S.
Some of the group’s affiliate companies in the painting and coating sector include D. Zelinsky & Sons, F.D. Thomas, and US Coatings.
2. Cherry Coatings
2021 revenue: $102.6 million
Previous rank: 4
Cherry Coatings is a Texas-based company that works in new construction painting, industrial flooring, and maintenance coating services. The company works in commercial and industrial environments providing coatings to both exteriors and interiors, with experience working on data centers, hospitality, healthcare, education, entertainment, and industrial projects.
The company is also quickly expanding, now with over 1,000 employees after having opened offices in Nashville, TN, San Antonio, TX, Phoenix, AZ, and Raleigh, NC in the past two years. The company was a newcomer to ENR’s list of top painting contractors last year, and maintains a top-ten contender this year after jumping from its unranked status outside the top 20.
Some of Cherry Coatings’ recent projects include:
- Cisco Data Center, Allen, TX
- Austin ISD Performing Arts Centers, Austin, TX
- Methodist Health Hospital, Midlothian, TX
3. Champion Painting Specialty Services Corp.
2021 revenue: $102.1 million
Previous rank: 3
Champion Painting Specialty Services is a painting contractor based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Alongside providing services in coatings, the company also provides work in facility access and other specialty services such as insulation, penetration seals, roofing, and siding.
In its focus on coatings, the company works with corrosion control, commercial painting, fireproofing, high-performance coatings, and tank linings, having performed its work on infrastructure, marine, military, nuclear, and facilities projects.
Some of Champion Painting’s recent projects include:
- I-595 Bridge Expansion Project, Fort Lauderdale, FL
- George Washington Bridge coatings, New York, NY
- Mercedes-Benz Stadium coatings and corrosion control, Atlanta, GA
4. Graydaze Contracting Inc.
2021 revenue: $98.3 million
Previous rank: 5
Graydaze Contracting is a specialty contractor working in painting and coatings, sealant installation, maintenance and repainting, and industrial repainting.
The company also has a background in both the east and west of the country, with its main headquarters in Alpharetta, Georgia, and a Western HQ in West Valley City, Utah. The company also notes that it is licensed in 44 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands, with projects delivered all over the United States.
5. Apex Imaging Services
2021 revenue: $97.5 million
Previous rank: 20
Apex Imaging Services is a custom-solutions provider that specializes in using technology for multi-site remodels and rollouts in the retail and restaurant industries.
The company boosts that it’s bringing innovation to the commercial remodeling industry “by developing bleeding-edge tech and blending it with our army of skilled tradespeople.”
Based in Pomona, California, Apex Imaging Services offers general contractor, project management, and technology services across the U.S.
Some of Apex Imaging Services’ notable projects include:
6. Hartman Walsh Industrial Services
2021 revenue: $62.5 million
Previous rank: 10
Hartman Walsh Industrial is a St. Louis, Missouri-based contractor that works in a number of industrial construction and maintenance services.
In the painting sector, the company offers services in industrial coatings and linings, plural component coatings and linings, fireproofing, abrasion, paint removal, corrosion protection, and maintenance.
Despite their basis in Missouri and a small number of locations when compared to other companies on this list, Hartman Walsh works around the country. Some of its largest recent projects include:
- Central Arizona Project Mark Wilmer Pump Station, AZ
- Blue Grass Army Depot, KY
- MN Power Thomson Pipeline, MN
7. Harrison Contracting Co.
2021 revenue: $57.1 million
Previous rank: 9
Harrison Contracting is a painting contractor that offers services in re-imaging and repainting, new construction, and facility maintenance. Some of the company’s main industries of service include hospitality, healthcare, multi-family, industrial, and government.
The company has a solid reach across the South, too, with offices in Florida (Destin, Tampa, Orlando), Georgia (Atlanta, Savannah), and Texas (Dallas).
8. Ascher Brothers Co. Inc.
2021 revenue: $53 million
Previous rank: 6
Ascher Brothers Co. is a Chicago-based company whose work is centered in the Midwest. The company offers services in renovation, new construction, exterior painting, maintenance, and other specialty services.
Ascher Brothers works on projects in a number of sectors, such as education, hospitality, industrial, medical, and residential. Some of the company’s largest recent projects include:
- The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
- Cars.com Headquarters, Chicago, IL
- Northwestern University Practice Field, Evanston, IL
9. Thomarios
2021 revenue: $47.8 million
Previous rank: 8
Thomarios is a contractor that works in construction and coating in the Mid-Atlantic and Midwestern regions of the U.S., with locations in Akron, Ohio, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The company offers work in coatings (including powder coating), construction, flooring, and other specialty services, with a discrete department focused on each. Thomarios’ coatings group has worked with a number of industries, including aerospace, automotive, biotech, government, military, and retail, among others.
Some of Thomarios’ recent projects include:
- New York Aquarium, New York, NY
- Kent State University Center for the Visual Arts, Kent, OH
- Carroll County Energy Facility, Carroll County, OH
10. Avalotis Corp.
2021 revenue: $46.2 million
Previous rank: 13
Avalotis is a Verona, Pennsylvania-based contractor that works in construction and coating and says it has serviced the U.S., Central America and the Caribbean for more than 50 years.
The company offers work in surface preparation and abatement, specialty coatings and linings, concrete flooring, sheeting, scaffolding and rigging containment erection, industrial protective coatings, secondary containment and insulation.
Some of Avalotis’ recent projects include:
- Birmingham Bridge, Pittsburgh, PA
- Metra Station, Chicago, IL
- Shipyard, Philadelphia, PA