Repaint Tray Shark Tank Update: Is Repaint Studios Still Growing?

A product backorder can mean two very different things. It may signal strong demand, or it may expose a young company’s inventory problems. For Repaint Studios, the answer appears to be a little of both.

As of July 2026, the company’s $39.95 Repaint Tray was on backorder, with shipping estimated for mid-August. Its website remained active, replacement parts were available, and the business continued supporting international orders. Those are meaningful signs that Repaint Studios is still operating after its appearance on Shark Tank Season 17.

The harder question concerns the investment. Founder Billie Asmus accepted an on-air offer from Barbara Corcoran, Chip Gaines and Joanna Gaines. However, no accessible source clearly confirms that due diligence finished and the investment legally closed.

That distinction matters. Repaint Studios entered the Tank with retail traction, attractive direct-sale unit economics and a founder who understood her customer. It also faced a high valuation, inventory pressure and the challenge of changing painters’ established habits. Here is what the evidence says about the business today.

Repaint Studios Product Snapshot

Latest Update — July 2026

The official store lists the standard Repaint Tray on backorder, with an estimated shipping date in mid-August 2026. The company continues selling replacement liners, lids and bundles. Its website also supports international ordering.

What Is the Repaint Tray?

The Repaint Tray is a reusable painting system built around three pieces: a steel tray, flexible silicone liner and airtight lid. The lid lets a user pause a project without immediately returning leftover paint to its can.

Repaint Studios says the sealed tray can keep compatible paint usable for up to three weeks. After the remaining paint dries, users can flex the liner, peel away the paint and wash it with soap and water.

The system fits a standard American 9-inch roller. It works with many water-based, latex and acrylic products. However, the company warns against using oil-based paint, oil-based polyurethane, varnish or paint-removing solvents.

This is mainly a convenience product. Its strongest customer is not necessarily someone who paints every day. It is the homeowner, parent or DIYer who must stop halfway through a room and return several days later.

The environmental pitch supports that convenience. A reusable liner can replace repeated purchases of thin plastic liners. Still, the company’s claim that more than 240 million liners enter landfills each year lacks a linked independent study. It should be treated as a company estimate rather than a settled waste statistic.

Who Founded Repaint Studios?

Billie Asmus built the product from direct experience. She left a career in agriculture in early 2021 and pursued furniture refinishing while raising a young family. Painting furniture and renovating a fixer-upper repeatedly exposed the same problem: unfinished paint dried in trays while brushes and rollers became difficult to reuse.

During her pitch, she summarized the origin simply:

“I had a need.”

- Billie Asmus

Her background was useful in two ways. Furniture refinishing gave her practical product knowledge, while her education in marketing, advertising and communications helped her present the idea to competitions and retail buyers.

Founder Timeline

Billie’s strongest qualification was not a long career in industrial design. It was founder-problem fit. She understood the interrupted painting session because she had experienced it repeatedly.

What Happened to Repaint Studios on Shark Tank?

Billie asked for $250,000 in exchange for 5% of Repaint Studios. That placed a $5 million implied post-money value on a business that had launched commercially in 2024.

She told the Sharks the product sold for $39.95. Its landed cost had reportedly fallen from about $13 to $10.50. At the direct retail price, that creates a product-level gross margin of about 73.7% before shipping, fulfillment, returns, advertising and overhead.

Billie also reported just under $1 million in sales. She projected $1.3 million in sales and at least $300,000 in profit for the current year. Those figures came from the pitch and are not supported by public financial statements.

Kevin O’Leary focused on valuation. He argued that the 5% offer asked an investor to pay too high a multiple of projected pretax earnings. He offered $250,000 for 20%.

Lori Greiner liked the construction and demonstration. However, her previous experience with Paint Brush Cover made her cautious about competition in painting accessories.

Chip Gaines raised a different risk:

“Contractors are a really stubborn crew.”

- Chip Gaines

His concern went to adoption. A reusable tray may save money over time, but contractors already have inexpensive trays, liners and established cleanup methods. Repaint Studios must therefore sell a new habit, not only a new tool.

Barbara Corcoran offered $250,000 for 15%. Billie then pushed to include Chip and Joanna. She explained how a Hearth & Hand mug bearing the words “Actually, I can” helped her during a difficult period after leaving her job.

Barbara ultimately shared the investment. The resulting on-air agreement gave Barbara 10% and the Gaineses 5%.

Shark Tank Deal Snapshot

The negotiation also showed why strategic value can outweigh price. Billie could have accepted Barbara alone. Instead, she gave up the same total equity while adding partners with direct authority in home renovation and lifestyle retail.

How Does Repaint Studios Make Money?

Repaint Studios combines direct-to-consumer sales with wholesale and retail distribution. Its flagship tray creates the first purchase. Replacement liners, lids and bundles then add follow-up revenue without requiring every buyer to purchase another steel base.

Business Model Snapshot

The $39.95 direct price leaves room above the pitch’s $10.50 landed cost. However, retail margins will be lower because a retailer takes part of the selling price. Freight, warehousing, promotions and damaged inventory also reduce the apparent margin.

That explains why Billie wanted operational help. Winning a retail order is only the beginning. The company must finance inventory, deliver on time and make sure the product appears in the correct aisle with enough explanation.

The challenge resembles the retail scaling problem that affected Scratch and Grain. A national opportunity creates little value if the company cannot supply it reliably. Repaint Studios entered the Tank with better product margins, but its 2026 backorder shows that inventory remains central to the story.

What Happened After Shark Tank?

The clearest post-show evidence is operational. The company remains active, offers international ordering and continues selling several configurations. A Lowe’s product listing showed a 4.4 out of 5 rating from 14 reviews when checked.

Repaint Studios had already built momentum before television. A 2024 Congressional Record recognition documented its commercial launch, pitch-competition wins, retail relationships and recycling work.

By November 2025, Bethel University reported more than 20,000 units sold. It also reported that the company had moved into a warehouse and employed four full-time workers plus seasonal fulfillment staff.

The company’s current backorder adds a newer growth signal. It suggests continuing demand, although it also highlights the working-capital and supply-chain pressures that come with a physical product.

Current Status Evidence Table

Repaint Studios Company Timeline

Did the investment close? The company’s official announcement says Barbara, Chip and Joanna are “on board.” Magnolia also lists Repaint Studios among businesses it supports. Yet neither source explicitly states that due diligence closed or that funds were transferred.

Until one of the parties confirms that point, the accurate description is an on-air agreement. The business does not need a confirmed closing to qualify as active or growing.

Repaint appeared alongside GoodEgg, another practical home product from the same episode. Both businesses also attracted the Gaineses. That pattern suggests the guest Sharks valued products connected to real household routines rather than technical complexity.

Where Can You Buy the Repaint Tray?

The most complete selection is available through the official Repaint Tray product page. As of July 2026, prices were:

• Standard three-piece Repaint Tray: $39.95
• Extra silicone liner and lid: $21.99
• Tray bundle with an extra liner and lid: $58.85

The standard tray was accepting backorders for estimated mid-August shipping. Buyers who need one immediately should check local Lowe’s availability before ordering.

Customers should confirm that their coating is compatible. The silicone liner is not intended for oil-based coatings, varnish or paint-removing solvents.

Lessons From Repaint Studios’ Journey

1. A familiar problem can support a premium product

Repaint Studios did not invent painting. It redesigned an inconvenient step around stopping and restarting. That is often enough if the saved time, paint and frustration exceed the upfront price.

2. Retail proof made the pitch stronger

Billie did not enter the Tank with an untested prototype. She had sales, retailer conversations, competition wins and manufacturing experience. Those signals reduced execution risk.

3. Good product margins do not remove working-capital risk

The pitch’s direct-sale margin looked strong. However, a growing hardware brand must pay for stock before it collects every retail dollar. The 2026 backorder makes that lesson visible.

4. Strategic fit can matter more than the lowest equity cost

Billie kept Chip and Joanna in the conversation because their home-improvement credibility mattered to her. Barbara then created a structure that combined consumer-product experience with category authority.

5. Founders must separate a deal from a closed deal

An on-air handshake is an important milestone, but it is not final proof of funding. Entrepreneurs and readers should wait for direct closure evidence before treating televised terms as completed transactions.

Final Take

Repaint Studios is not merely surviving after Shark Tank. The evidence points to an active business with retail distribution, a warehouse, a small team and continued product demand.

Its biggest opportunity and biggest risk are now the same: scale. Repaint must keep products available, educate traditional painters and broaden its range without weakening its cash position. The company’s journey shows that a simple physical product can become a serious retail business, but only when invention is followed by disciplined manufacturing and distribution.