The method
The curriculum: the Seven Systems of a coating business
Every coating company that lasts runs the same seven systems, written down or not. This page shows how each one is taught: the modules and lessons, whether you learn them online in The Epoxy Playbook, where installations are recorded start to finish, on the slab in the hands-on class, or both, and the free guide in our library that is each system's first chapter.
How to read this page
- Online Taught online in The Epoxy Playbook
- Online + slab Learned online in the Playbook, then done yourself on the slab in class
- Recorded installation Filmed start to finish; replay any step
Jump to a system:
Overview
Seven systems, three places to learn them
Installation is recorded start to finish in the Playbook, so you can watch and replay every step, and then done with your own hands on real concrete in the hands-on class. The business systems are taught online, because they're decisions and documents you'll come back to. A consultation ties them to your own plan.
| System | What it covers | Where it's taught | Free chapter | Free tools |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Set up | Entity, licensing, insurance, equipment and a supplier, in the right order and at the right cost. | Online | How to start an epoxy flooring business | Startup cost calculator, Grinder rent vs buy calculator |
| 2. Price | A price per square foot and per job that carries your overhead and leaves a profit. | Online, practiced in class | How to price epoxy flooring | Job pricing calculator |
| 3. Quote | Measured estimates, a written scope of work and contract terms that hold up. | Online, practiced in class | Epoxy flooring contracts | Estimate template, Scope-of-work template |
| 4. Sell | The in-home sales call, good-better-best options and the objections you will hear. | Online | The epoxy flooring sales process | Lead cost calculator |
| 5. Install | Reading the slab, moisture testing, prep, systems and cure, with a job-day checklist. | Online + slab | Flake floor installation | Flake calculator, Coverage calculator, Job-day checklist |
| 6. Protect | Warranty terms you can honor, documentation, and a callback process before you need one. | Online, practiced in class | Epoxy floor warranties | Warranty template |
| 7. Grow | Leads by channel and cost, reviews, and hiring the people who let you step off the floor. | Online | Epoxy flooring marketing | Lead cost calculator |
Library chapters and tools are free. The modules below are what The Epoxy Playbook and the hands-on class cover; the Playbook opens to its founding list first.
System 1 of 7
Set up
Entity, licensing, insurance, equipment and a supplier, in the right order and at the right cost.
By the end: A business that is legal, insured and equipped for its first job, without spending ahead of the work.
| Module | Lessons | Where it's taught |
|---|---|---|
| Choose your market and your first systems |
| Online |
| The legal setup |
| Online |
| Equipment and a supplier |
| Online |
| Your startup budget and first-year plan |
| Online |
The free chapter
The public version of this system, in the library:
Keep reading
System 2 of 7
Price
A price per square foot and per job that carries your overhead and leaves a profit.
By the end: A price per square foot and per job that carries your overhead, and a margin you know before you quote.
| Module | Lessons | Where it's taught |
|---|---|---|
| What a floor really costs you |
| Online |
| Building your price |
| Online + slab |
| Margins and discounts |
| Online |
Free tools
System 3 of 7
Quote
Measured estimates, a written scope of work and contract terms that hold up.
By the end: A quote that wins the job and protects you when the slab turns out worse than it looked.
| Module | Lessons | Where it's taught |
|---|---|---|
| The estimate visit |
| Online + slab |
| The written quote |
| Online |
| Contracts and scheduling |
| Online |
Keep reading
Free tools
System 4 of 7
Sell
The in-home sales call, good-better-best options and the objections you will hear.
By the end: A first call and an in-home visit that get the right customers to say yes at your price.
| Module | Lessons | Where it's taught |
|---|---|---|
| From first call to booked visit |
| Online |
| The in-home visit |
| Online |
| Objections |
| Online |
| Follow-up |
| Online |
Keep reading
Free tools
System 5 of 7
Install
Reading the slab, moisture testing, prep, systems and cure, with a job-day checklist.
By the end: A slab read correctly, prepped to the data sheet and coated with a system that lasts, every job day.
| Module | Lessons | Where it's taught |
|---|---|---|
| Reading the slab |
| Online + slab |
| Surface prepRecorded installation |
| Online + slab |
| RepairsRecorded installation |
| Online + slab |
| Coating systemsRecorded installation |
| Online + slab |
| Cure, safety and the job day |
| Online + slab |
Installations are recorded start to finish in the Playbook, so you can watch, pause and replay every step before and after class. The hands-on class is where you do it yourself.
Keep reading
System 6 of 7
Protect
Warranty terms you can honor, documentation, and a callback process before you need one.
By the end: A warranty you can afford to honor, a record of every job, and callbacks handled before they turn into reviews.
| Module | Lessons | Where it's taught |
|---|---|---|
| Warranty terms |
| Online |
| Documentation |
| Online + slab |
| Callbacks and failures |
| Online + slab |
| After the sale |
| Online |
Keep reading
Free tools
System 7 of 7
Grow
Leads by channel and cost, reviews, and hiring the people who let you step off the floor.
By the end: A cost per booked job you know by channel, reviews that keep coming, and help that lets you step off the floor.
| Module | Lessons | Where it's taught |
|---|---|---|
| Leads |
| Online |
| Reviews |
| Online |
| Hiring and crew pay |
| Online |
| Running the week |
| Online |
Keep reading
Free tools
On the slab
The two-day hands-on class
This is the curriculum standard partner classes follow, not a scheduled class. Classes open state by state, and dates are texted to the class waitlist. Everything you do on these two days, you'll already have watched, start to finish, in the Playbook.
Day 1
The slab
- Reading the slab. Moisture testing (calcium chloride and in-slab relative humidity), checking for old coatings, sealers and oil, and mapping cracks, spalls and joints.
- Grinding. Setting up the grinder and the HEPA dust extractor, grinding to the profile the data sheet calls for, then edges and corners.
- Repairs. Filling cracks and joints, repairing spalls, and knowing when a repair has to cure before the coating goes down.
- Prep check. Inspecting the floor against the job-day checklist before any coating is mixed.
Day 2
The coating and the business
- Base coats. Mix ratios, pot life and spreading at the rate on the data sheet.
- Full-broadcast flake. Broadcasting flake to refusal, then scraping and vacuuming before the top coat.
- Metallic demonstration. How a metallic floor is poured and worked, shown by the trainer.
- Top coats. Polyaspartic or polyurethane top coats, recoat windows and slip resistance.
- Business wrap-up. Pricing and quoting the floor you just installed, the warranty terms you would put on it, and your next steps.
Before class
- The installation recordings in The Epoxy Playbook. They're required before class, so your two days go to the slab.
- The protective equipment on the what-to-bring list.
After class
- A certificate of completion from Epoxy Business School. It isn't a license; here's what it means.
- The recordings, to replay the steps before your first paid job, and the Price, Protect and Grow systems as the jobs come in.
- The job-day checklist on every job.
Where it comes from
Built from a working coating company's playbook
Most epoxy classes in the US are run by product suppliers, and they teach application well: prep, mixing, flake, metallic, quartz, cove base. Pricing, quoting, the sales call, warranty terms and hiring usually get a line in the brochure. Our class comparison lists the classes running today, and supplier classes vs independent schools sets out the trade-offs.
This curriculum starts from the documents a working coating company runs on: its pricing guide, estimating notes, scope of work, warranty terms, discount rules, sales-call guide, post-sale follow-up, crew pay sheet and the technical questions customers ask. The Seven Systems put them in the order a new company needs them.
The installation is taught the way it's done on real jobs: recorded start to finish, following the manufacturers' data sheets and the standards behind them, such as moisture testing and surface profile. The business lessons use the same figures as our guides and calculators, so the numbers you learn are the numbers you'll use. How our pages are reviewed.
Where the consultation fits
The consultation is where the curriculum meets your plan. In 30–45 minutes with someone who runs a coating company, you cover:
- Your market and which systems to offer (Systems 1 and 5)
- Your startup budget (System 1)
- A sanity check on your pricing (System 2)
- Your training plan: what to learn next, online and on the slab
Where is each system taught?
Installation is recorded start to finish in the Playbook and then done on real slabs in the hands-on class. Set up, Sell and Grow are taught online. Price, Quote and Protect are taught online and practiced in class, where you price, quote and write warranty terms for the floor you install.
Is the curriculum the same in every state?
Yes. The Playbook is the same for every member, and every partner class follows the same two-day curriculum standard. What changes by state, such as licensing, is covered on the state pages.
Can I see the curriculum before I join?
Yes. The curriculum page lists every module and lesson, and each of the Seven Systems has a free chapter in the library.
Do I need the Playbook before a hands-on class?
Yes, it’s required. You learn every step from the recordings first, so your two days on the slab go to doing the work rather than watching demonstrations.
How long is an Epoxy Business School class?
Two days on real slabs. Day one covers reading the slab, moisture testing, grinding and repairs; day two covers base coats, a full-broadcast flake floor, a metallic demonstration, top coats and a business wrap-up.
Does the online course replace hands-on training?
No. The recordings show every step; the hands-on class is where you do it yourself, on real slabs, with a trainer watching. The two are built to work together.
Watch every step, start to finish
The Epoxy Playbook records full installations and teaches the business around them. It opens to the founding list first.