Surface Specialists
Formerly known as Solid Surface Solutions
Bottom line
- Total investment $43K – $56K including a $36K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $296K/year (median $132K).
- Rated MODERATE with a risk score of 60/100. SBA loan default rate of 0.0% across 2 loans (below the industry average).
- System contracting at -8.3% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven (consolidation) or franchisee-driven (economics).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Yale framework · single-unit ROIC
Returns Analysis
Pulls Item 7 (investment) and Item 19 (revenue) from this brand's FDD into the Yale unlevered-ROIC formula. Override any input to stress-test it against your own assumptions.
The model · Yale framework
What would one Surface Specialists unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
68%
Above typical band (30–60%)
Levered LBO scenario · Yale Crease Capital framing
What would 25 Surface Specialists units return on equity?
Equity IRR · 5-yr
49.9%
7.57× MOIC
Year-1 DSCR
1.88×
EBITDA ÷ debt service
Equity required
$356K
on $1.8M purchase
Total debt
$1.4M
SBA $0.9M + senior + seller note
Overview
About
Surface Specialists franchisees provide restoration, refinishing, or protective treatment services for surfaces (likely countertops, flooring, or concrete). Day-to-day operations involve site visits, surface preparation, application of specialized coatings or treatments, and customer relations management within a protected geographic territory.
Item 7 · what it costs
The Vitals
Item 19
Financial Performance
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 14 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator — not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee phone area codes (Item 20). Approximate — ported numbers may show the original state, not the franchisee's current location.
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Declining unit base, non-disclosed profitability, and franchisor going concern issues present material risks that outweigh the modest $43K-$56K investment and protected territory benefit.
Score breakdown · what drove the 60 / 100 rating
- 01MEDUnit count declined 6.4% year-over-year (44 units), indicating system contraction and potential franchisee dissatisfaction
- 02MEDNet income not disclosed in Item 19, preventing ROI validation against $43,200-$56,000 investment + $36,000 franchise fee
- 03HIGHGoing Concern status is False, suggesting potential financial instability or sustainability questions at franchisor level
- 04MEDHigh initial investment ($79,200-$92,000 total) against undisclosed profitability metrics creates unjustifiable risk
- 05MINOR$250 monthly royalty minimum (5%) may be unsustainable for locations generating below $60,000 monthly revenue
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
Item 11
Training & Operations
Item 20
Franchisee Contacts
Phone numbers extracted directly from this brand's FDD Item 20. After purchase, you'll also receive a list of validation questions tailored to this brand.
Franchisee contacts
38 numbers
One-time purchase · CSV download · Validation questions included
FDD download
Surface Specialists · FDD (2026) PDF