Brand Dossier

Surface Experts

FDD-based analysis. Item-level data. No franchisor input.

Not ranked in the Entrepreneur 2026 Franchise 500Home ServicesFDD issued April 6, 2026
Ranking ContextSurface Experts is not ranked in the Entrepreneur 2026 Franchise 500. Zorzee is an independent publication and not affiliated with Entrepreneur Media.
Source File2026 Franchise Disclosure Document. Measurement period: Item 19 Reporting Period: 2025 calendar year (Reporting Group = 75 of 93 Franchised Locations open & operating at least 12 months as of 12/31/2025).
About the Brand

About Surface Experts

Surface Experts franchises mobile repair businesses that fix minor damage to interior surfaces such as vinyl, wood, glass, linoleum, tile, laminate, and stainless steel for commercial and residential customers. A franchisee operates a vehicle-based service business in a protected territory, starting with one wrapped Surface Experts van plus a full-time lead technician and a full-time business development hire, while a national support center handles customer intake and scheduling. It is a full-time, owner-operated model rather than a semi-absentee business.

Source: Franchise Disclosure Document, rewritten by Zorzee

Investment Summary

The Numbers At a Glance

Total Investment Range
$155,893 to $273,200
FDD Item 7
Franchise Fee
$2
Development fee: $0 separate area/development fee; additional contiguous territories use the same MFHU initial-fee formula.
FDD Item 5
Royalty + Fees
8%
Current recurring percentage burden is heavy: 8% Gross Sales royalty PLUS a Support Center Services Fee of 4% of...
FDD Item 6
Earnings Claim
Disclosed (no combined average)
The disclosed cohorts, tiers, ranges, coverage, and read are included in Pro.
FDD Item 19

Every value here comes straight from the FDD; anything not yet source-verified stays blank rather than estimated. The Pro figures and full interpretation unlock with a Pro membership.

The FDD Data Table

Everything the 2026 Filing Discloses

Every data point Zorzee tracks for this brand, in FDD Item order. Missing source data stays blank; Pro-only interpretation remains locked.

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ItemData PointValueSource
Item 3Litigation Actions (total) 0 actions disclosed FDD Item 3
Item 5Initial Franchise Fee The Initial Franchise Fee is $2.50 per multi-family housing unit for the first 30,000 units in your territory, plus $2.00 per unit from 30,001 to 45,000, $1.50 per unit from 45,001 to 60,000, and $1.00 per unit above 60,000 (Item 5, p.11). FDD Item 5
Item 5Development Fee $0 separate area/development fee; additional contiguous territories use the same MFHU initial-fee formula. FDD Item 5
Item 6Royalty Fee Royalty is the greater of 8% of Gross Sales OR a minimum royalty of $1,600/month (minimum begins after the first year); the $1,600 minimum increases to $1,800/month after 18 months for. FDD Item 6
Item 6National Media Fund Pro FDD Item 6
Item 6Corporate Ad & Development Fund Pro FDD Item 6
Item 6Total Ongoing Fee Burden Pro Calculated (Item 6)
Item 7Total Investment (low) $155,893 FDD Item 7
Item 7Total Investment (high) $273,200 FDD Item 7
Item 8Required Purchases (food/supplies) Pro FDD Item 8
Item 11Franchisor Assistance Pro FDD Item 11
Item 12Exclusive Territory Pro FDD Item 12
Item 12Territory Size Pro FDD Item 12
Item 15Operating Participation Pro FDD Item 15
Item 17Initial Term Length Pro FDD Item 17(a)
Item 17Renewal Terms Pro FDD Item 17(b)-(c)
Item 17Required Remodel at Renewal Pro FDD Item 17(c)
Item 17Termination Triggers Pro FDD Item 17(f)-(h)
Item 17Transfer Fee Pro FDD Item 17(m), Item 6
Item 17ROFR Provisions Pro FDD Item 17(n)
Item 17Post-Termination Non-Compete Pro FDD Item 17(r)
Item 19Revenue Metric Disclosed Pro FDD Item 19
Item 20Total Franchised Units (2025) 103 FDD Item 20
Item 20Company-Owned Units (2025) 0 FDD Item 20
Item 20Total System Net Unit Growth (YoY) +16 FDD Item 20
Item 20Terminations Pro FDD Item 20
Item 20Agreements Signed, Not Yet Open Pro FDD Item 20
Item 21Audited Financials Pro FDD Item 21
Pro Data Points Locked
The free table maps every data point to its FDD source. Pro fills in the values and interpretation that require the full read.
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The Signal Tracker

Five Signals From the 2026 Filing

Each signal turns one part of the filing into a read a buyer can act on. Strength means the disclosed data is favorable. In Line means it is typical for the category. Deal-Specific means the term is populated but you still have to model it against your own deal. Concern means the disclosed data is a real risk. The read is free. The reasoning behind it is the Pro read.

Fee Structure
Deal-Specific
FDD Item 6
The Pro Read

Surface Experts discloses 2025 gross revenue only by performance quartile, with no single systemwide average, so the weight of the ongoing fee load depends heavily on which revenue tier an outlet lands in. Recurring costs stack a percentage royalty (subject to a monthly minimum), a monthly technology-portal fee, and the actual cost of a mandatory full-time business development hire, so lead-generation labor is a fixed commitment on top of the royalty regardless of revenue tier.

Unit Economics
In Line
FDD Item 19
The Pro Read

Item 19 does disclose a 2025 financial performance representation, but it is presented only in quartile tiers split between single- and multi-territory franchises, with no combined all-units figure and everything stated as gross revenue rather than profit.

Litigation History
In Line
FDD Item 3
The Pro Read

Source-reviewed FDD Item 3 discloses 0 actions. The legal-context read remains locked in Pro.

Operator Validation
Strength
FDD Item 20
The Pro Read

Item 20 shows a system growing every year with almost no attrition: franchised outlets rose from 76 to 87 to 103 over 2023-2025 with only a handful of terminations, no non-renewals, and a pipeline of signed-but-unopened agreements.

Term & Exit Terms
Deal-Specific
FDD Item 17
The Pro Read

Item 17 gives a ten-year initial term with two five-year renewals, a $10,000 transfer fee, a right of first refusal, and a two-year post-term non-compete, plus a holdover clause that lets the franchisor deem a renewal and bill the fee.

Five Reads In. The Reasoning Is Locked.
You can see where each signal lands. Pro gives you the why: the math, the source detail, and what to validate before you act.
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Item 19: Earnings Disclosure

What the Earnings Claim Says, and What It Does Not

Surface Experts has an Item 19 disclosure, but it does not provide one standard combined unit figure for Free to display. The disclosed cohorts, tiers, ranges, coverage, and read are included in Pro.

Disclosed (no combined average)

The disclosed cohorts, tiers, ranges, coverage, and read are included in Pro. No combined figure is invented or exposed on Free.

What the Number Doesn't Tell You
Free, because misreading Item 19 is one of the costliest mistakes a first-time buyer can make.
  • Item 19 reports the disclosed sales or revenue metric. That is not profit, and not a forecast of what you would personally take home.
  • An average and a median are not the same number. Know which you are shown and how far apart they sit.
  • What reaches you is whatever survives operating costs and debt service. Item 19 never shows that figure.
Earnings Detail Locked
Pro reveals the filing's actual disclosure shape, coverage, ranges, and the Zorzee read without inventing a combined unit average.
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Unit Count and Trajectory

A System Still Expanding

Total Units
103
Latest sourced FDD year
Franchised
103
FDD Item 20
Company-Owned
0
FDD Item 20
Total System Net Change (YoY)
+16
Latest total-system change
Total System Units, Latest Available FDD Years
76
2023
87
2024
103
2025

Surface Experts trajectory is shown only where source-backed. Missing Item 20 fields stay blank inside the locked layout instead of removing the section.

Source: FDD Item 20 where present. Total system units, franchised plus company-owned. Not financial advice.

Beyond the Net Number
A net unit count is not the same as healthy stores. Pro breaks out openings, closures, terminations, and what the trajectory signals.
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Litigation History

What FDD Item 3 Discloses

0 actions disclosed in source-reviewed FDD Item 3.

Source Status
Item 3 litigation detail not yet sourced
Not yet sourced. No zero-action conclusion has been loaded for this brand.
The Read · Pro
What a Litigation Count Doesn't Tell You
Free, because a raw lawsuit count is one of the most misread lines in any FDD.
  • A count means nothing without scale and time. Always compare it to system size and years covered.
  • The pattern matters more than the total. Repeated allegations matter more than isolated disputes.
  • Concluded and open matters are not the same weight. Open matters require different diligence than old resolved matters.
Litigation Read Locked
Pro gives the case-by-case read: allegations, status, scale context, and whether any pattern matters before signing.
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Editorial Analysis

The Zorzee Read

The Zorzee Take
The editor's synthesis: what the filing actually means once the numbers, diligence, and operator reality are weighed against each other. The Take names what matters, what does not, and what must be validated before any decision.
The Read · Pro
The Inversion
Charlie Munger's rule: to understand a thing, study how it fails. Zorzee stress-tests every brand against forecasting, site selection, management depth, and exit math. The framework is free. Which modes bite hardest for this brand, and the fix for each, is the read.
The Failure-Mode Read · Pro
The Editorial Read Is Locked
Pro unlocks the full Zorzee read on Surface Experts: the editorial synthesis, the math behind the numbers, and the failure modes the filing reveals. Zorzee briefs the decision; you make it.
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Zorzee editorial. Independent analysis. No franchisor review or approval. Not financial advice.

The Decision

You've Seen the Filing. The Read Is Still the Missing Piece.

The filing tells you what Surface Experts costs to open. Pro adds the read on whether the numbers work for you, in your market, and whether this brand is a business or a job you bought.

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This Dossier
  • The full read behind all five Signal Tracker verdicts
  • Pro FDD data points from fee burden through Item 17 and audited financials
  • The Item 19 earnings read where disclosed
  • The litigation and system-health read
  • The Zorzee Take and failure-mode analysis
Your Pro Membership
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