Common doubts
Common doubts about a recoat business, answered
Last updated · FloorIt
The doubts we hear most are that the work is too physical, that you need flooring experience, that it can't fit around a job, and that anyone can buy finish at the store. Each one has a real answer, and some have a real catch. Here they are.
Is it too physical?
It's real work, but it isn't heavy construction. You guide a buffer, which weighs about 110 pounds and does the work as it spins. Then you roll on the finish standing up, with a pole. An average floor takes about 3 hours.
The catch: you kneel for the edges and corners, and you load the buffer into your vehicle. If that's too much for your body, you can hire a tech and run the business yourself.
I've never done floors
Most people who ask haven't. The course walks through every step, and a flooring expert reviews any floor you're unsure about. You do a practice floor before your first paying customer.
The catch: your first jobs will be slower, and you'll be nervous. That passes with reps.
Can it fit around my job?
Often, yes. One job fits in a morning or an afternoon. The catch is the phone, not the floor. Leads come in during the day, and the ones who wait too long for a call often book someone else.
Can't homeowners just buy finish at the store?
They can, and some will. Store polish sits on top of the floor and peels, and one-part poly stays softer. But the finish was never the whole business. The business is a calendar of booked estimates, and someone who knows which floors to turn down.
I'm not a salesperson
You don't need to push anyone. At the estimate, you check the floor honestly and explain the choices: a recoat done in an afternoon, or a full sand if the wood itself is damaged. The training gives you the words.
What if the leads don't buy?
Many won't. We plan around closing about 3 in 10 leads, so most leads not buying is already in the math. Following up with the ones who said not yet is where a lot of jobs come from.
Keep reading
- No experience needed: No, you don't need flooring experience to start a recoat business with FloorIt. What the training covers, what the job takes, and the floors to walk away from.
- Weekend side hustle: Can a floor recoat business be a side hustle? A job takes about 3 hours, so two jobs a week is about 8 to 10 hours. How weekends work, and the hard parts.
- Hire a floor tech: Don't want to do the floor work? A part-time recoat tech runs about $250 a job. Here is the math, and what you still do yourself.
- Who should not join: FloorIt is not for everyone. Who should not join: people who need income next month, who can't call leads back fast, or who want a business without work.