Recoat business income
How much can a floor recoat business make?
Last updated · FloorIt
What a floor recoat business makes depends on how many jobs you sell, what you charge and what each job costs you. In our example, an average $2,499 job leaves about $1,973 before your labor and taxes. That is an example, not a promise, and the rest of this page shows the math so you can run it for yourself.
One job, line by line
- $2,499
- Average job
- −$526
- Finish $236, buffer rental $40, marketing to win the job $250
- $1,973
- Left before your labor and taxes
The marketing line is what it can cost to win one job with ads, not the cost of one lead. Many leads don't turn into jobs, so the cost of each sold job includes the ones that didn't buy. Your numbers depend on your market, your floors and how you run the business.
An example, not a promise.
Jobs per week, as examples
| Jobs a week | Rough hours, with estimates and driving | Left before labor and taxes (example) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | About 4 to 5 | $1,973 |
| 2 | About 8 to 10 | $3,946 |
| 4 | About 16 to 20 | $7,892 |
A recoat takes one person about 3 hours on an average home. The table shows what the job example adds up to at a few different paces. These are examples, not promises.
What changes the numbers
- Prices in your area. Recoats commonly run about $1.50 to $3 a square foot, and home sizes vary
- How many estimates you close. Calling fast and following up makes the biggest difference
- What your marketing costs. Referrals and repeat customers cost far less than ads
- Slow weeks. Not every week will be full, especially at the start
- Floors you have to turn down. Some floors need a full sand, not a recoat
- Hiring. A tech lets you do more jobs, and you pay their wages out of each job
- Taxes, insurance and the normal costs of running a business
What the first months usually look like
Your first weeks go to learning the job, running your first estimates and getting your first reviews. Most people close a few of their first estimates and get better quickly. Leads are not sold jobs. Some won't answer, some will shop around, and some floors can't be recoated.
The people who do well call fast, follow up, and treat it like a real business from day one. The ones who struggle usually wait too long to call back.
Why the income can build over time
You put every customer on a yearly maintenance plan. Every customer you serve is a future job, and every good job can bring a referral from the neighbors. Over time, the business can lean less on paid ads and more on the customers you already have.
We will never tell you that you will make a set amount. Anyone who promises that is guessing about your market, your effort and your floors. What we can do is show you the math, look at the demand in your area, and help you get the first customers in.
Keep reading
- Why our numbers are conservative: Why FloorIt shows conservative numbers: how we make money, an honest job example, the first months, and why we would rather underpromise and overdeliver.
- Is it worth it: Honest numbers on a hardwood floor recoat business: what one job is worth, what it costs, what the first months really look like, and what we'll never promise.
- 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.
- Demand near you: How to size demand for floor recoats in your area: homes, owner-occupied, wood floors and how often they come due. 200,000 people is about 6,800 homes a year.