FloorIt vs. a franchise
FloorIt vs. a franchise: the complete guide
Last updated · FloorIt
FloorIt is not a franchise. A franchise rents you its name and its system for a fee and a cut of your sales, while FloorIt builds a business in your own name and earns when you reorder finish. This guide covers every way the two differ, where a franchise is stronger, and the pages that go deeper on each part. In our video “How We Make Money and Why This Isn’t a Franchise,” linked on this page, Alex walks through how a typical floor franchise makes money and how FloorIt is set up instead.
What a franchise is, in plain words
A franchise is a deal to run a business under someone else's brand. You pay to use their name and follow their system. In return, you get a name people may know, a playbook and a support team.
Most floor franchises charge a fee up front and a royalty, which is a share of your sales, for as long as you own the business. Many add an ad fund too. Every franchise gives buyers a franchise disclosure document, or FDD, that lists its fees and rules.
What FloorIt is instead
FloorIt is a partner program. We build a recoat business in your name: the LLC, the brand, the website, the Google profile, the phone and the lead system. We train you, ship your equipment and finish, and bring you your first 50 leads.
You don't rent our name. Homeowners see your business, not ours. That one choice changes almost everything else on this page.
The five big differences
- The name: yours with FloorIt, the brand's with a franchise
- The money after you start: finish you reorder with FloorIt, a royalty on your sales with most franchises
- Ad money: no ad fund and no monthly minimum with FloorIt
- The rules: you set your prices, pick your finish and take jobs anywhere
- Leaving: no lock-in and no fee to leave
How the money flows
A franchise gets paid when you buy in, and then again on every job you do. FloorIt gets paid once for the package, and after that only when you reorder finish from us. Leads after your first 50 come bundled in with those reorders. No royalty, no ad fund, no fee per lead and no territory fees.
Comparing real brands
N-Hance and Mr. Sandless are two of the best-known floor franchises. Both list a 6% royalty in their franchise disclosure documents. We put their published numbers next to ours, brand by brand, so you can check them yourself.
Your name, or theirs
A franchise name can help a homeowner trust you on day one. Your own name starts with no reviews, but every review, photo and customer you earn stays with you. Partners can build local trust fast if they ask for it on every job.
Is a franchise the safer bet?
A franchise lowers some risks, like not knowing the work. It doesn't remove the big ones. Owners inside the same franchise can get very different results, and monthly fees keep coming in slow months.
Where a franchise is stronger
A franchise has a name homeowners may know, a long track record and many owners you can call. The FloorIt partner program opened in September 2026, so we don't have that record yet. If a known name and a set rulebook matter most to you, a franchise can be the right choice.
Leaving, either way
With FloorIt, there's no minimum term and no fee to leave, and the business stays in your name. With a franchise, read the FDD and the contract for what happens when you want to stop or sell.
Keep reading
- Your brand or theirs: A franchise name can help on day one. Your own brand starts at zero but stays yours. How to build local trust fast, and what each one is worth later.
- Who sets the rules: With FloorIt you set your prices, pick your finish, keep your own hours and take jobs anywhere. With a franchise, the FDD and its rules decide many of those.
- Is a franchise safer?: Is a floor franchise safer? A known system helps, but results still vary a lot. What a franchise protects you from, what it doesn't, and what lowers your risk.
- Not a franchise: How FloorIt differs from a floor refinishing franchise: no franchise fee, no royalties, no ad fund, your own name and brand, and nothing to buy your way out of.
- Without a franchise: Can you start a hardwood floor business without a franchise? What a franchise gives you, what fees and royalties cost, and other ways to start one in your name.
- FloorIt vs. N-Hance: FloorIt vs. N-Hance side by side: the license fee, package cost and 6% royalty from the N-Hance franchise disclosure, and how FloorIt works without a franchise.
- FloorIt vs. Mr. Sandless: FloorIt vs. Mr. Sandless: the franchise fee, total investment, royalty, ad fund and territory from the 2026 Mr. Sandless disclosure, next to how FloorIt works.
- Your ad territory: How a FloorIt ad territory works: an area around your business where we won't run ads for another partner while you're active and keeping your estimates.
- Leaving FloorIt: Can you leave FloorIt? Yes, any time. No minimum term and no fee to leave. What you keep, what you still owe on a loan, and how refunds work.
- Is FloorIt an MLM: Is FloorIt an MLM? No. Partners earn from floor jobs homeowners pay for, not from recruiting. No downline, no ranks and no monthly buying to stay active.
- Aligned incentives: FloorIt makes its long-term money when you reorder finish, which only happens when you're doing jobs. Here's why that keeps us focused on filling your calendar.