Technology can be a real life saver when you’re running a contracting business. Time is short so any chance you get to save a minute or two while also improving your ability to do your job can be a big stress relief. In the past we’ve pointed out some great apps for HVAC and electricians, so we thought we’d expand our list for some of our other users. We know our painting cost estimator app is a hit with users, so we’ll let you know a bit more about that and a few other popular apps for painters that you might find handy.
JobFLEX Estimating & Billing App
Compatibility:
Android – Requires 4.1 and up
Price: Free trial/plans start at $8/month
JobFLEX is a lifesaver for busy painting contractors. JobFLEX lets painters create estimates from their Android device with or without an internet connection. You can build your own price list or upload one (JobFLEX has even set up pricing list templates with pricing and descriptions to get you started) that contain detailed descriptions and pricing that you can add with a tap while you walk the job site.While this app isn’t completely free, it does come with a free trial to let you get a feel for the features. JobFLEX not only makes estimating easy, it also lets you manage billing by quickly turning quotes into invoices and running reports on customers who have overdue payments. Estimating and invoicing for plumbers has never been easier than it is with JobFLEX.
ColorSnap Visualizer by Sherwin-Williams
Compatibility:
Apple – Requires iOS 10.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch
Android – Requires Android 4.4 and up
Price: Free
This is an extremely popular house painting app used by many contractors due to its full suite of features. Take a picture of anything around you and the app will match up to 8 colors in the picture with the corresponding Sherwin-Williams colors. You can color capture your wall color or any other project colors you’re working on within the app or upload a photo from your smartphone photo library or Pinterest account. Once you take or upload a photo, you can click on a color, and it will give you the details, and allow you to save it, email it to clients, or share it on your social media. Additionally, ColorSnap will give you color palette options that coordinate well with the selected color, along with the color strip, and similar colors.
The app is perfect for painting contractors because it will show how the paint color works in a room setting, allowing you to virtually paint your room to visualize what it would look like once the project is finished. One major thing that differentiates ColorSnap from other room painting apps is its integration with Sherwin-Williams’ physical stores and products. You can also search and browse for colors, which includes Sherwin-Williams Historic colors and Timeless color options. If you have a color card from a Sherwin-Williams store, you can scan the number to view all of its details as well. And lastly, the app will help you can find a Sherwin-Williams store nearby when it’s time to stock up on paint.
Paint Tester
Compatibility:
Apple – Requires iOS 11.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch
Android – Varies with device
Price:$2.99
Paint Tester is great for painting contractors because it takes the visualization of a paint color in a room one step further than ColorSnap. Paint Tester allows you to take or upload a picture of a room and “paint” the walls of the house (in the app). It features a brush tool, or a fill color tool which allows for users to paint specific objects in the picture. To find the desired color, you have the ability to utilize the app’s color picker or type in the color number, along with tools that allow you to adjust brightness and erase mistakes. Once you complete your painted picture, you can email it to clients, share it on social media and more.
Home Harmony
Compatibility:
Apple – Requires iOS 10.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch
Android – Not currently available
Price: Free
In truth, Home Harmony doesn’t offer a lot of features that aren’t present in some of the other house painting apps listed above, but there is one distinct feature that makes it very attractive to contractors. Home Harmony allows you the ability to order paint from multiple manufacturers! For painters not locked into a single brand, this can be extremely helpful and offers multiple color options not available on apps tied directly to a manufacturer. Additionally, Home Harmony offers you the ability to adjust flooring options as easily as it allows you to paint walls – with one touch!
Painting Job Estimator_10
Compatibility:
Apple – Not currently available
Android – Requires Android 2.2 and up
Price: $4.99
What this app lacks in aesthetics it makes up for in functionality. For quick, accurate estimates, this app is hard to beat. Simply input a room’s dimensions and let Painting Job Estimator_10 do the work. This app will quickly crank out detailed price estimates for up to ten rooms simultaneously. If you want to access pricing later, you can easily save a project right to your Android device.
Other Room Visualizing and Color Matching Paint Apps
Admittedly, this space is pretty saturated and many products have very similar features. If you have a preferred paint manufacturer or store, it’s likely that they have an app similar to ColorSnap if you want to stick with your favorite brand. Here are some links to other painting apps you may find useful.
- Project Color by Home Depot – Android, Apple
- Color Capture by Benjamin Moore – Android, Apple
- ColorSmart by Behr – Android, Apple
- Nippon Paint Color Visualizer – Android, Apple
- Nix Paints – Android, Apple
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