The Paint Brush Cover - Shark Tank Update

The Paint Brush Cover arrived on Shark Tank Season 5 with a practical solution to one of the most frustrating aspects of professional and amateur painting alike: the time-consuming, wasteful process of cleaning paint brushes every time a painter takes a break or finishes work for the day. New Jersey entrepreneur Sal DePaola, along with co-founders John DePaola and Anthony Caputo, had founded the company back in 2011 after identifying an opportunity to dramatically reduce both cleanup time and paint brush replacement costs through a simple plastic cover engineered to seal a paint brush's bristles in an airtight environment during breaks and overnight storage periods.

The trio appeared on Shark Tank Season 5 seeking $50,000 for 10% equity, representing a $500,000 valuation, with their primary investment need centered on securing the retail distribution partnerships necessary to get their product into the paint departments of major home improvement chains across the country. The entrepreneurs arrived with a deep understanding of professional painters' daily workflow frustrations rooted in their own experiences with the inefficiency of washing brushes between coats, between rooms, and at the close of each workday-a particularly burdensome process for professional painters who use multiple brushes daily and must maintain them in pristine condition for high-quality finish work on client projects.

The Paint Brush Cover functioned through a clever sealing mechanism that wrapped around the brush ferrule and bristles to create a virtually airtight seal, keeping paint-laden brushes moist and workable for extended periods during breaks and even overnight without drying out. Professional painters could comfortably set down their brushes for a lunch break, for the day, or even for a weekend without being forced to wash them immediately, saving significant time and dramatically reducing the amount of paint rinsed down household and job-site drains-an environmental benefit resonating with both eco-conscious consumers and contractors navigating increasingly strict local regulations regarding paint and chemical waste disposal.

Beyond its break-time convenience, The Paint Brush Cover also served as a protective storage solution for freshly cleaned brushes, keeping bristles neat, uniformly shaped, and protected from the fraying and spreading that typically shortened brush lifespan when stored improperly. The one-size-fits-most design accommodated brushes from one to three inches wide, making it universally compatible with the most commonly used paint brush sizes for both interior and exterior painting applications, reducing the need for customers to purchase multiple size-specific products.

The pitch itself created a memorable moment when Sal appeared visibly flustered after losing his composure mid-presentation on national television, creating tension in the Tank before the team recovered and adequately conveyed their product's advantages. All five sharks showed genuine interest in the straightforward home improvement solution, creating a competitive atmosphere that gave the New Jersey entrepreneurs significant negotiating leverage to secure a favorable investment partnership.

The Paint Brush Cover pitch generated competitive interest from multiple sharks, all of whom recognized the product's practical appeal and natural fit with the distribution networks of major home improvement retailers, ultimately resulting in Lori Greiner winning the deal with an investment of $100,000 for 20% equity-double the original ask amount-reflecting her commitment to providing both the capital and the retail platform the team needed to rapidly scale their distribution from a small direct-to-consumer operation into a nationally recognized home improvement staple. Lori immediately put her extensive retail network to work on behalf of the New Jersey entrepreneurs, helping them secure distribution agreements with some of the largest home improvement and general merchandise retailers in the country, including Home Depot, Lowe's, Walmart, and Bed Bath & Beyond.

Sal, John, and Anthony also joined Lori for an appearance on QVC, where the product's straightforward visual demonstration format proved perfectly suited to the home shopping network platform, reaching millions of home improvement enthusiasts and professional painters who could instantly appreciate the time-saving and brush-preserving benefits the cover provided. By the time of their Season 6 update segment in Episode 622, the results validated Lori's investment thesis: she had helped secure placement in 2,000 Home Depot stores nationwide, and the product had achieved $2.5 million in cumulative sales since the deal closed.

The update also announced distribution expansion to over 14,000 stores across multiple retail channels and revealed the introduction of a new roller cover product to complement the original brush version, extending the line to serve the large segment of painters who preferred rollers for walls and expansive surfaces.

However, the company's post-Shark Tank journey was not without serious turbulence. In December 2017, co-founder John DePaola was arrested by New Jersey law enforcement for alleged participation in a cocaine trafficking operation, generating significant news coverage and difficult questions about the business's leadership.

John was never ultimately convicted of the charges, but the incident forced the company through a demanding period of uncertainty and public attention it had never anticipated. The founding team underwent notable restructuring in the years that followed.

Sal DePaola exited the company in November 2019 to pursue other endeavors including his current role leading the Wealth Concierge Group financial services entity. Co-founder Anthony Caputo also departed to focus on his work at GrantVest Financial Group.

John DePaola remained as the business's primary operator through these transitions, and the founders eventually completed a buyout of Lori Greiner's equity stake, returning full ownership to the remaining founding team. Despite the personnel changes and controversies, The Paint Brush Cover continued building its retail presence, and by July 2024 the product was available in approximately 25,000 stores nationwide while generating between $5 and $7 million in annual revenue-an impressive result that validated both the original product concept's lasting utility and the founders' capacity to maintain a competitive home improvement product in major retail channels across more than a decade of business operations.

As of August 2026 we've seen signs that they are no longer in business, the website isn't operational and lack of social media presence.