In January, a floor coating owner should pull five numbers from last year (leads, booked estimates, show rate, close rate, and average ticket), decide how many install days and crews the year can support, and set the date marketing starts for spring based on climate. In Florida, the Gulf Coast, and the Carolinas, floor coating books year round, so January is a working month. Everywhere else, January is the month to get ready before spring demand arrives.
What numbers from last year should you pull in January?
Five numbers. If you are missing some, that is the first thing to fix this year.
| Number | Where to find it | What it tells you | What to compare it to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leads | Ad accounts, CRM, phone log, referral notes | How much demand you created or received | Your own month by month history |
| Booked estimates | Calendar, CRM | How well leads turned into appointments | 60 to 70% of leads, when ads are high intent and leads are called fast |
| Show rate | Calendar, notes on no shows | Whether booked estimates actually happened | About 80% with no reminders, about 95% with confirmation and reminders |
| Close rate | Estimates run vs jobs sold | How well you sell the system | Your own history and product. There is no single benchmark |
| Average ticket | Invoices | What a typical job is worth | Your own prior years and your price per square foot |
The comparison numbers come from our floor coating benchmarks. Break each number out by month and by lead source if you can, because a year where referrals carried spring and ads carried fall needs a different plan. To track them weekly once the year starts, use the scoreboard in the 7 numbers every floor coating contractor should track.
What does a January planning checklist look like?
Work through it in this order.
| Area | Question to answer in January | Output |
|---|---|---|
| Last year's numbers | What were leads, booked estimates, show rate, close rate, and average ticket, by month? | One page with five numbers per month |
| Capacity | How many install days do your crews have this year, and how many floors per day? | A target floors per month for each season |
| Estimates and leads | How many estimates and leads does that target require? | Weekly estimate and lead targets |
| Marketing start date | When does spring demand start in your climate, and what needs to be live before it? | A launch date and a list of what must be ready |
| Hiring | Will you need another installer, crew lead, or estimator this year? | A hire date and a training plan |
| Equipment | Which grinders, vacs, and vehicles need service or replacement? | A repair list and a replace list |
| Material | Which systems will you sell, and do your spec sheets allow early season installs? | Your product menu and first install date |
| Reviews and proof | Do you have recent photos and reviews of the floors you want to sell more of? | A list of past customers to ask and photos to shoot |
| Price per square foot | Does your price still fit your market? | A confirmed price sheet |
How do you plan capacity for the year?
Start with install days, not a revenue goal. Count the install days you realistically have in each season after weather, material runs, callbacks, and estimate time. Multiply by floors per day for the system you sell most. That gives you a floors per month target for each season.
From there, work backward to estimates and leads. Our guide on how many estimates a week one crew needs walks through the math step by step. If the numbers say one crew cannot install what the market will buy, read when to add a second floor coating crew before you hire.
On price, garage floor coating sells for $5 to $8 per square foot, with saturated markets like Florida near $5 and wealthier, less saturated metros near $8. A two car garage is roughly 400 to 500 square feet. January is a good time to check whether your price still fits your market.
When should you start marketing for spring in your climate?
It depends entirely on where you work.
| Warm markets (Florida, Gulf Coast, Carolinas) | Cold markets (most of the country) | |
|---|---|---|
| January demand | Steady, homeowners keep booking | Low for garage installs |
| Marketing in January | Keep ads running, refresh creative | Build creative, landing page, and lead handling so they are ready before spring |
| Install schedule | Normal | Indoor work, heated spaces, systems rated for colder installs |
| Main January risk | Treating January as a slow month and losing momentum | Starting too late and missing the first wave of spring leads |
| Spring prep | Plan capacity for the busy months ahead | Take deposits on spring installs from winter estimates |
The month by month spring rollout is in our spring marketing plan for floor coating contractors. If you want to plan around refunds landing in February, our guide to tax refund season for floor coating companies covers the timing. And if your January problem is a crew with nothing to install, read how to keep a floor coating crew busy in winter.
When should you hire if you need more people this year?
Earlier than you think. New installers need time to learn prep before they touch a customer's slab, and spring is the worst time to train because every day is an install day. If your capacity plan says you need another person, set the hire date in January and work backward from your first busy week. Our guide to hiring and training a floor coating crew covers the training side.
Do not hire on hope. Hire when your lead flow can feed the extra capacity.
What should you check on equipment and material?
Service grinders, vacs, trailers, and vehicles while they are not needed every day. A grinder that fails in April costs install days you cannot get back. Then pull the spec sheet for every system you will sell this year. Many epoxy systems want the slab comfortably above 50°F, and many polyaspartic and polyurea systems are rated to install colder. The manufacturer's spec sheet is the rule, and it sets your first realistic install date in a cold market.
How do you build reviews and proof before the busy season?
Find last year's floors you are proudest of. Ask those customers for a review, and ask to photograph the floor now that it has been lived on. A floor that still looks great after a year of use is better proof than a fresh install photo. If you plan to push a premium system this year, you need photos and reviews of that system. On Meta, the creative is the targeting, so your spring ads will only be as good as the photos you collect in January.
Frequently asked questions
What should a floor coating company do in January?
Pull last year's leads, booked estimates, show rate, close rate, and average ticket, then plan install days, hiring, equipment, and the spring marketing start date. In Florida, the Gulf Coast, and the Carolinas, January is a normal working month for a floor coating company, so keep booking estimates while you plan.
When should epoxy flooring companies start spring marketing?
Epoxy flooring companies in cold markets should have creative, a landing page, and a plan for calling every lead fast ready before spring demand starts, not after. Work backward from your first realistic install date, which your system's spec sheet sets. Warm market epoxy companies never stop marketing, so they refresh rather than restart.
What numbers should a garage floor coating business review each year?
Review leads, booked estimates, show rate, close rate, and average ticket, by month and by lead source. Compare booked estimates to the benchmark of 60 to 70% of leads, show rate to about 80% without reminders and about 95% with them, and close rate to your own history. There is no single close rate benchmark for garage floor coating.
Is January a slow month for concrete coating companies?
In most of the country, yes, because the rest of the country is strong spring through fall and drops in winter. In Florida, the Gulf Coast, and the Carolinas, concrete coating books year round, so January is closer to a normal month. Plan around your own market, not someone else's calendar.
Planning a year with more estimates on the calendar?
If your January numbers show the crew could install more floors than the calendar held, Appointly can help fill that gap. Appointly runs Meta ads from its own ad account, calls every homeowner lead within minutes, educates and qualifies them, and books confirmed estimates on your calendar. We work with one floor coating contractor per market.
If your crew is already booked out or you have not pulled last year's numbers yet, start there first, because more estimates will not fix a capacity or tracking problem. Book a strategy call and we will check whether your market is open, when your spring demand starts, and how many estimates a week your crews can run this year.
About the author
Patrick Mietka
Co-founder, Appointly Solutions
Patrick runs the Meta ad campaigns and the numbers behind every Appointly client. He has managed lead generation and appointment booking for floor coating and home service contractors across the US, and writes about what actually turns ad spend into booked estimates.