The Grit Blueprint Podcast
High Margin, Easy Install Wall Panels That Contractors Love, Joel Koops, Co-Founder of Trusscore
October 20, 2026 Length: 18 min Watch on YouTube (opens in a new tab)
On the Do it Best Fall Market floor, Stefanie Couch talks easy install wall panels with Joel Koops, Executive Vice President and Co-Founder of Trusscore, on The Grit Blueprint Podcast. Joel explains how PVC panels moved from barns and car washes into garages, basements and mudrooms.
About This Episode.
Drywall has owned the garage for decades. Joel Koops says Trusscore installs three to four times faster, and the installed cost lands close to finished, painted drywall.
In this episode of the Grit Blueprint Podcast, I'm on the Do it Best Fall Market floor with Joel Koops, Executive Vice President and Co-Founder of Trusscore, talking about how garage wall panels made from PVC went from barns and car washes into garages, basements, and mudrooms. We get into why contractor add-on services like a garage makeover fit on jobs you're already running, and why lumberyards can earn better margin on a drywall alternative that isn't a commodity.
Ben and I put Trusscore SlatWall in our own studio, so I've got opinions on garage slatwall storage too.
This episode is sponsored by Trusscore. Find a dealer, get an estimate, or find a Trusted Installer at trusscore.com.
What's inside
- How Joel and co-founder Steve Bosman started Trusscore after watching wood and steel rot inside agricultural buildings
- Why food processing plants, breweries, and car washes need PVC wall panels that survive daily washdowns
- How residential became Trusscore's fastest growing market after CEO Dave Caputo came in in 2019
- Trusscore Wall&CeilingBoard and Trusscore SlatWall explained: PVC extrusion, white and gray, and mixing the two
- Why garage slatwall storage beat pegboard and plywood for hanging camera gear in our Grit Studios
- How farmers put the first panels in their garages and neighbors spread the word
- Why lower skilled crews can install it, and how the Trusscore Trusted Installer Program brings in work
- Installed cost versus finished, painted drywall, and why install speed changes the math
- Why lumberyards and hardware stores can earn better margin on a product that isn't a commodity
- Cutting with a battery saw or snips, with no vinyl brake required
- Who to pitch: homeowners, contractors, commercial jobs, and custom home builders
Key Takeaways.
- Joel Koops says Trusscore installs three to four times faster than drywall, and the installed cost lands close to finished, painted drywall.
- Trusscore started after Joel and co-founder Steve Bosman watched wood and steel rot inside agricultural buildings.
- Lower skilled crews can install the PVC panels, cutting them with a battery saw or snips, with no vinyl brake required.
- Lumberyards and hardware stores can earn better margin on Trusscore because it is a drywall alternative that isn't a commodity.
- Do it Best members can order Trusscore through distributors such as Palmer-Donavin, with product available in two to three days anywhere in the U.S.
Questions and Answers.
How much faster do PVC wall panels install than drywall?
Joel Koops, Executive Vice President and Co-Founder of Trusscore, says Trusscore installs three to four times faster than drywall. He also says the installed cost lands close to finished, painted drywall.
Where are PVC wall panels used?
Trusscore panels moved from barns and car washes into garages, basements and mudrooms. Food processing plants, breweries and car washes use them because the panels survive daily washdowns.
How can Do it Best dealers stock Trusscore?
Do it Best members can order Trusscore through distributors such as Palmer-Donavin, with product available in two to three days anywhere in the U.S.
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