How to Run a Painting Business Smoothly with Dave

Painting work might look simple from the outside, but running a painting business means balancing estimates, invoices, photos, contracts, and a whole lot of client follow-up. If you’re trying to keep it all in your head or scattered across apps, it gets messy fast.

Dave was built to keep contractors organized without the extra headaches. Painters especially love how fast they can move from quoting to getting paid.

Estimating That Actually Saves You Time

The hardest part of painting is often pricing jobs correctly. Square footage, coats, trim, prep, it all takes time to figure out. That’s why we built the free Painting Cost Calculator. It’s a quick way to double-check your math before you build an estimate.

But here’s the real secret:
For the fastest and most consistent estimating, set up your Pricebook in Dave with your most common line items (like “Interior wall paint per sq ft” or “Trim painting per linear ft”). Then create an estimate template you can reuse on every job.

That way you’re not starting from scratch each time, you just pull from your Pricebook, adjust the quantities, and send. It’s seamless, accurate, and keeps your margins protected.

Stay Organized From Start to Finish

Painting jobs move fast, and you might have multiple projects going at once. With Dave, everything for each project stays in one place:

• Notes about colors, finishes, and client requests
• Photos from before, during, and after
• Contracts, approvals, and e-signatures
• Estimates and invoices, all tied to the same project

When a client calls six months later asking what shade of white you used in their kitchen, you’ll actually have the answer ready.

Invoices That Get Paid

Nothing slows a painting business down like late payments. Dave makes invoicing painless:

• Send invoices by text or email
• Include your logo, license, and payment terms
• Get notified when a client opens your invoice
• Attach contracts or add e-signatures

Clients see a professional invoice and pay faster. You spend less time chasing down money.

Turn Every Job Into Your Next Job

Fresh paint jobs always make for great photos. With Dave, you can attach those photos to review requests and send them directly to clients. They’re more likely to leave a 5-star review, which helps you rank locally and land more painting work.

Try It Out

Set up your Pricebook and estimate templates inside Dave for a fully seamless workflow.

You’ll be quoting faster, getting approvals quicker, and keeping every painting job organized in one place.