Painters & Decorators

Painting and decorating software
that shows you the full picture.

Live GP on every job. 12-week cashflow forecast. Supplier invoices matched automatically. Everything a painting and decorating business needs to run properly.

14-day free trial  ·  Full access  ·  No credit card  ·  Cancel any time

Job Tracker

Every painting and decorating job showing live gross profit — not just hours.

Green if you’re on track. Amber if the margin is tightening. Red if you need to act. You see it while the job is live — not after you’ve invoiced it and the damage is done.

Job Tracker — Live GP
Riverside House — Full repaint
42.1%On track
Kensington Court — Common areas
38.6%On track
Chester Residence — Interior
28.2%Labour high
Northfield Academy — Exterior
6.4%Action needed
12-Week Cashflow Forecast

Know what’s coming in and going out — 12 weeks before it happens.

Your bank balance today doesn’t tell you if you can make wages in three weeks. Grafter Lab does. Live balance, outstanding invoices, upcoming wages and scheduled payments all in one rolling forecast.

Cashflow Control — 12-week forecast
Balance now
£24,180
12-week low
£11,420
Wages due Friday£4,200
Outstanding invoices£18,600
Overheads this month£3,100
Safe runway9 weeks
Staff App & GPS Clock In

Your painters and decorators clock in on site. Labour costs hit the job automatically.

Your team opens the Grafter Lab app, selects the job and taps clock in. GPS confirms they’re on site. Labour costs start hitting the job immediately — no timesheets, no chasing, no manual entry.

Staff — Live today
T. Harrison
On site — Riverside House
07:42 · 4h 18m
P. Rowe
On site — Kensington Court
08:05 · 3h 55m
L. Casey
On site — Chester Residence
07:55 · 4h 05m
M. Turner
Not clocked in
Due: Northfield Academy
Supplier Invoice AI

Paint and decorating supplier invoices matched to jobs automatically.

Give your suppliers your unique Grafter Lab email address once. When their invoice arrives, the AI reads every line item and matches it to the right job automatically. No manual entry. No lost invoices. No surprises at month end.

Supplier Documents — Auto-matched
Brewers Decorator Centres
INV-2847 · £312.40 · Dulux Trade Vinyl Matt 10L ×6
Riverside House
Crown Paints Trade
INV-9241 · £184.60 · Sandtex Masonry 10L ×4
Northfield Academy
Dulux Trade Direct
INV-1042 · £96.20 · Trade Eggshell Brilliant White
Kensington Court
Rawlins Paints
INV-7721 · £241.80 · Floor Paint & Primer
Chester Residence
Price Alerts

Know the moment a supplier increases their prices.

Paint costs go up. Grafter Lab compares every new supplier invoice against the last one and flags any price increase automatically. You see it before it hits your margin.

Price Alerts — This month
Dulux Trade Vinyl Matt 10L
Brewers · Last invoiced 14 Jun 2026
+8.4%
Sandtex Masonry Paint 10L
Crown Paints Trade · Last invoiced 22 Jun 2026
+5.1%
MDF Primer 5L
Rawlins Paints · Last invoiced 1 Jul 2026
+11.2%
AI Business Assistant

Ask your painting and decorating business anything. Get a straight answer.

The AI knows your live jobs, cashflow, staff and overheads. Ask it whether you can take on another decorator, which jobs are dragging your GP down, or what your busiest month was — and get a real answer based on your actual numbers.

AI Assistant
You
Can I afford to take on another decorator next month?
Grafter Lab AI
Based on your 12-week cashflow, adding a decorator at £650/week keeps you above your buffer for 8 weeks. You have 3 quotes pending worth £24k — if any convert, you’re comfortably covered through to October.
You
Which jobs are dragging my GP down this month?
Grafter Lab AI
Northfield Academy is your biggest drag at 6.4% GP against a 35% target. Labour has overrun by 22 hours. Every other live job is above target.
Retention Tracker

Know exactly what’s held in retention — and when you can invoice it.

On commercial painting and decorating contracts, retention ties up cash for months. Grafter Lab tracks every retention amount, DLP period and expected release date so it feeds into your cashflow forecast automatically.

Retention — Outstanding
Total held
£14,820
Kensington Court — Phase 2
£4,200
DLP ends 14 Sep 2026
Riverside Hotel Refit
£6,100
DLP ends 22 Oct 2026
Northfield Academy Exterior
£4,520
DLP ends 3 Jan 2027
The difference

What changes when you run your
painting and decorating business properly.

No more end-of-month surprises. No more guessing on a Thursday.

Without Grafter Lab
Checking the bank balance every Thursday hoping wages are covered
Finding out a decorating job made a loss when you invoice it
Manually matching paint supplier invoices to jobs at month end
Chasing painters by phone to find out if they’re on site
Forgetting about retention until a client mentions it six months later
Not noticing a supplier price increase for weeks
With Grafter Lab
12-week forecast tells you exactly when money comes in and goes out
Live GP on every job — you act while you can still fix it
Supplier invoices match themselves to the right job automatically
Painters clock in on site, labour hits the job in real time
Retention tracked per contract with DLP dates and release amounts
Price alerts flag increases the moment they arrive
Pricing

One price. Your whole team.

No per-user fees. Every painter and decorator on your team included in one flat rate.

Starter
Starter
Up to 5 users · flat rate
£39
per month
Up to 5 users included
  • RAG Job Tracker with live GP
  • Quotes, estimates & invoices
  • Purchase Orders
  • Supplier Invoice AI
  • Price Alerts
  • Xero Integration
Start free trial
Most Popular
Pro
Up to 10 users · flat rate
£75
per month
Up to 10 users included
  • Everything in Starter
  • 12-Week Cashflow Forecast
  • Retention Tracker
  • Work in Progress
  • Cash Flow Simulator
  • Monthly Snapshot
Start free trial
Scale
Scale
Unlimited users · flat rate
£149
per month
Unlimited users included
  • Everything in Pro
  • Staff App & GPS Clock In
  • Time Logs & Leave Manager
  • Schedule & Planning
  • AI Business Assistant
  • Priority Support
Start free trial

14-day free trial  ·  Full access  ·  No credit card required

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Is Grafter Lab suitable for a sole trader painter and decorator?
Yes. The Starter plan at £39/month covers up to 5 users and gives you job tracking, quotes, invoices, supplier invoice AI and Xero integration. Many sole traders use it to get proper visibility on their job margins without the complexity of larger software.
Can I track the cost of every painting job in real time?
Yes. Every job shows live gross profit that updates as labour hours are logged and supplier invoices arrive. You see the margin changing while the job is live — not after you’ve invoiced and the damage is done.
Which paint suppliers work with the supplier invoice AI?
Any supplier that sends a PDF invoice. Brewers Decorator Centres, Dulux Trade, Crown Paints, Rawlins Paints, Johnstone’s Trade and Farrow & Ball Trade all work out of the box. You give them your unique Grafter Lab email address once and their invoices are read and matched automatically from that point on.
How does GPS clock in work for painters on site?
Your painters download the Grafter Lab app on iOS or Android. When they arrive on site they open the app, select the job and tap clock in. GPS confirms they’re within the site boundary before the clock starts. Labour costs hit the job automatically — no timesheets, no manual entry, no chasing.
Does it handle CIS for subcontract decorators?
Yes. Grafter Lab generates CIS-compliant subcontractor invoices automatically with the correct deduction rates, VAT treatment and payment statements all handled within the platform.
Does Grafter Lab integrate with Xero?
Yes. Invoices sync to Xero automatically when raised and payments sync back when marked as paid. Your accountant sees everything without you exporting spreadsheets or copying figures manually.
How much does painting and decorating software from Grafter Lab cost?
Starter is £39/month for up to 5 users. Pro is £75/month for up to 10 users and adds the 12-week cashflow forecast and retention tracker. Scale is £149/month for unlimited users and adds the staff app, GPS clocking and AI assistant. All plans include a 14-day free trial with no credit card required.
Painting & Decorating Software

Run your painting and decorating
business with full visibility.

Start your free 14-day trial. Full access from day one. No credit card required.

No credit card required  ·  Cancel any time  ·  Full access from day one