Painting and decorating is one of the most competitive trades in the UK. There's no shortage of work — but there's also no shortage of decorators quoting for the same jobs. In a market this crowded, the difference between winning and losing isn't always skill or price. It's often speed.
A customer who messages three decorators on a Tuesday afternoon will usually go with the first one who sends a proper quote. Not the cheapest. Not the flashiest website. The first one who responds professionally.
That's where quote software for painters and decorators pays for itself almost immediately.
The Problem With How Most Decorators Quote
Most painters and decorators either quote verbally, send a rough number via WhatsApp, or promise to "send something over" — and then don't, because they're busy on another job and it keeps getting pushed back.
The result: the customer doesn't have anything in writing, follows up with someone else, and the job goes elsewhere. Not because your price was wrong, but because you were slow.
Even when you do send a quote, a casual WhatsApp message doesn't inspire confidence for a job that might cost £2,000–£8,000. Customers want to see a proper breakdown. They want to feel like they're dealing with a professional business, not just someone who painted their mate's kitchen once.
What Good Quoting Software Does for Decorators
Gets a quote out the same day. Ideally the same hour. The tool needs to make quoting fast enough that you actually do it straight away, rather than planning to do it later and then forgetting.
Works from your phone. You're on-site most of the day. The quoting tool needs to work properly on mobile — not just technically, but comfortably, with a quick flow that doesn't take ten minutes to navigate.
Lets you quote via WhatsApp. If a customer messages you on WhatsApp asking for a price, sending the quote back in that same thread is the most natural experience. Asking them to check their email adds friction most customers don't bother with.
Looks the part. A proper quote with your business name, a room-by-room or job-by-job breakdown, and a clear total. Something the customer can read through and feel confident about.
Saves common jobs as templates. Most decorating quotes include a predictable set of line items. If you're re-typing those from scratch every time, you're wasting time you don't have.
Typical Line Items to Save as Templates
Setting up your standard jobs means most quotes take under two minutes to build:
- Interior wall painting (per room)
- Ceiling painting (per room)
- Woodwork / skirting boards / doors
- Wallpaper hanging (per roll or per room)
- Wallpaper stripping and prep
- Exterior painting (per storey / per face)
- Feature wall
- Full house repaint (day rate)
- Prep and primer only
With those saved, you're selecting from a list and adjusting quantities — not starting from scratch every time.
How bram.chat Works for Painters and Decorators
bram.chat is a WhatsApp quoting tool built for UK tradespeople. You set your services and prices once. After that, sending a quote takes under a minute — you build it from your saved items, adjust for the job, and send it directly through WhatsApp.
The customer receives a clean, itemised quote with your business details. You get a record of everything sent, so there's never any "I thought you said £X" later on.
It also covers invoicing in the same flow. When the job's done, you're not rebuilding the paperwork from scratch — it's already there.
In a trade where the fastest professional quote often wins the job, bram.chat makes that easy.
Start your 7-day free trial at bram.chat — no card needed. Or see how bram.chat works for painters and decorators specifically.