“I measure up on Saturday, then lose Sunday night turning my pencil notes into a proper quote.”
Painting and decorating software, explained for decorators. Quotes out on the day, evenings kept free.
Rooms quoted before you leave, the weather handled without a dozen phone calls, and a decorating business that isn't just you with a brush.
I'm Daniel Andrews, and I run a two-office law firm in East Sussex. Now I help self-employed painters and decorators from Lewes to Bexhill set up quoting, booking and sign-off to run while they paint.
A typical evening, after a day on the brush
- 7pmTurn today's measurements into a quoteThree bedrooms, a hallway, ceilings and woodwork
- 8pmRebook the exterior jobRain all week, and every move knocks on
- 9pmWrite up colours and productsWhich white, which sheen, before the order goes in
- 10pmChase the depositNo deposit, no start date, but someone still has to ask
- 11pmBed, with a snag list to type upPhotos of a missed patch, sent at 10:45
Great at the finish, behind on the paperwork
Decorating rewards patience on the job. The admin around it rewards nobody.
“I quote whole houses from notes on the back of a colour chart.”
“I promised the kids the beach on Saturday, then the sun came out and the exterior needed catching up.”
“I'm still waiting on the balance for a job I finished weeks ago.”
“Half my work is in Victorian terraces, and I'm never sure what's under the old paint.”
A decorator who has to hold every brush has built a job, not a business
Going it alone was meant to let you do the work properly and be paid properly for it. Instead, you're on the brush all day, then quoting, ordering, rebooking and chasing at night. Your standards are high, so you do all of it yourself.
But a business that only works while you're holding the brush is a job, however good the finish. My own firm was the same for years. On holiday I'd be up before anyone else, clearing emails.
What changed it was putting the firm on systems, and it's now four to five times the size it was when I started. A decorating business can run on the same system: see where the time goes, put the repeat work on systems, and spend the hours you win back on the business. Quotes come from measurements, colours are recorded room by room, and sign-off happens on your phone. My page on how I help trades build a proper business sets out the bigger idea.
What should painting and decorating software do for a small decorating business?
It should turn room measurements into a quote on site, record colours, finishes and products for every room, take the deposit and fix the start date, and move exterior jobs when the weather turns. It should also handle the snag list and sign-off, invoice the balance, and ask for a review.
| Job | How it often works now | Set up properly |
|---|---|---|
| Enquiries | “Can you do a few rooms?” with no detail | A short form asks which rooms, rough sizes and photos |
| Quotes | Measured on site, priced at home late at night | Room sizes entered on your phone, your rates applied, quote sent the same day |
| Colours and products | On a scrap of paper, or lost in a text thread | Saved room by room: brand, colour, sheen and coats, ready for touch-ups |
| Deposits and booking | Start date agreed before the deposit arrives | Deposit request sent on acceptance, with the date confirmed once it's paid |
| Weather and rebooking | Exterior jobs moved one phone call at a time | Affected customers texted with a new slot when the forecast turns |
| Snagging and sign-off | Snags over WhatsApp, balance delayed | Walk-round checklist with photos, sign-off recorded, balance invoiced at once |
What should decorators know about old lead paint?
That it can be hiding in older buildings. HSE says lead was widely used in household paint until the 1960s and wasn't removed from all common paints until the early 1980s, so it can sit under newer coats. HSE lists dry sanding and burning off old paint among the jobs that put you most at risk.
HSE's advice on lead is to leave sound paintwork in place, key it with wet abrasive paper, and only strip paint that is flaking, chipping or a risk to children. Where it must come off, it points to chemical strippers, wet abrasive paper and on-tool extraction, with hot air guns kept below 500°C. If you're self-employed, you're expected to protect yourself as an employer would protect staff.
Two consumer rules are worth building into your paperwork. If a customer accepts your quote at their home, they can usually cancel within 14 days, and you should only start inside that time if they ask in writing. And the Consumer Rights Act 2015 says every job must be done with reasonable care and skill, and lets the customer require poor work to be put right at your cost. Citizens Advice sets out the customer's side in its guide to cancelling building or decorating work.
- A “built before the 1980s?” box on the survey form, so old paint is flagged before you price the prep.
- A standard note asking customers to keep children and anyone pregnant away from rooms being prepared, as HSE advises.
- Each accepted quote sent with the cancellation information, and a written request to start sooner filed with the job.
- Snag list, photos of each fix and the customer's sign-off stored together with the job.
Please note: this is general information from official sources, not legal or health and safety advice. For your own situation, speak to a solicitor, HSE or a qualified safety adviser.
Quoting on Sunday nights? Let's get your quotes out on the day you measure.
Book a free 30-minute callWhat I'd set up first for a decorator
Quotes win the work and deposits secure it, so I'd start there, then protect the diary and the finish.
A quote you finish in the room
Room sizes in, your rates applied, and a clear quote sent before you leave. Walls, ceilings, woodwork and prep shown separately.
Deposit first, then the date
Acceptance triggers the deposit request, and the start date only goes in the diary once it's paid. No awkward phone call.
A colour record for every room
Brand, colour, sheen and coats saved with a photo. Touch-ups and the next room start from the record, not your memory.
A weather plan for exterior jobs
Each exterior job has a backup interior slot. When the forecast turns, customers get a new date, and you confirm the moves.
How do I choose painting and decorating software?
Choose something that quotes by room and surface, records colours and products per room, handles deposits and staged payments, and reschedules easily. It should work on a phone with paint on your hands, connect to your accounting software, and let you take your data with you. Try it on one real job first.
- Quotes by room and surface: walls, ceilings, woodwork and preparation.
- Colours, sheens and products stored per room, with photos.
- Deposits and staged payments, with automatic reminders.
- Talks to your accounting software, and lets you take your records with you.
Examples include Powered Now, ToolTime and Fergus. They're examples rather than recommendations, and I earn nothing from any software company.
Making Tax Digital for Income Tax already applies to sole traders whose qualifying income was over £50,000 in 2024 to 2025. HMRC says the threshold then drops, to £30,000 in 2027 and £20,000 in 2028, each from 6 April. Check with your accountant.
Why a law firm Managing Partner?
In a law firm, the sign-off matters as much as the work. At my firm of around 30 people, work passes between colleagues and is approved in one click, on a system I built. A decorator's snag list and sign-off are the same idea: agreed, recorded, done.
This consultancy is new, so I've no decorating case studies to show you. What I do have is 20 years in BNI, alongside the kind of local businesses I now help. Read more about me.
Other trades I help
PlumbingPlumbers
Call-outs answered, quotes built from your price list, parts matched to jobs and notifications tracked, so the van isn't your evening office.
For plumbers
ElectricalElectricians
Certificates written up on site, EICR recalls sent to landlords, remedials quoted and invoices chased, so testing days don't become writing-up nights.
For electricians
BuildingBuilders
Quotes, variations, subbies and the monthly CIS return, set up so the office side of a building firm stops eating your evenings.
For builders
Gas and heatingGas and heating engineers
Every landlord check and boiler service on one due-date list, records sent from site, and boiler quotes followed up, so winter weekends stay yours.
For gas and heating engineers
LocksmithingLocksmiths
Lockouts caught while you're mid-job, key and job records kept straight, and the invoice sent before you've left the doorstep.
For locksmiths
GardeningLandscape gardeners
For gardeners and landscapers juggling a maintenance round, bigger landscaping quotes and green waste records through a long summer of late nights.
For landscape gardenersQuestions from painters and decorators
How do I measure a room for a quote?
For walls, multiply the perimeter by the height, then take off large openings. Ceilings are length times width. Count doors, windows, skirting and radiators separately, and note the condition of each surface. Enter them on your phone and the software does the sums.
Should I take a deposit?
That's your decision. Whatever you choose, put the deposit, what it covers and when the balance is due in the quote. If the customer accepted the quote at home, remember they can usually cancel within 14 days.
What happens when rain stops an exterior job?
Tell customers early. A system can spot the affected jobs, text each customer with the next free slot, and fill your gap with interior work. Put your weather policy in the quote, and follow the conditions on the product's own instructions.
How do I stop snagging dragging on?
Walk the job with the customer before you pack up. Note each snag with a photo, fix what you can there and then, and book one return visit for the rest. Once they sign off on your phone, the balance invoice goes straight out.
Down tools at five. Keep the evening for yourself.
A free 30-minute call. No jargon and no hard sell. Tell me how you quote and book today, and I'll show you where the hours are going.