VexApp
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What's the project?
Describe it in your own words. Vex lists the steps and every product you need.
Plan a project
Say what you want to do, or just the idea. Vex lists the steps and exactly what to buy from the store, Lowe's or Harbor Freight.
Tap the spot you want to match.
Type a hex code (like #3A6EA5), use the picker, or tap a spot in a photo. You get the closest Behr and Glidden colors. Pull that color up at the tint machine in the customer's base, and the machine prints the formula.Any paint counter can mix that color in the paint you pick.
Tint formula estimate
Formula book · 0 saved
Formulas you saved after they matched. New estimates near these colors use them as a reference.
Before you tint
Tinted paint usually can't come back, so a quick check saves a mis-tint.
Reading a tint label
Each column is one colorant. The Oz row is whole ounces and the 384th row is 384ths of an ounce, so "EL 0 | 29" means 29/384 oz of Pthalo Blue (about 2.2 mL). Formulas depend on the product, base and can size, so only the tint machine can make one. A formula from one base won't match in another.
- AXL Permanent Yellow
- BL Lamp Black
- CL Yellow Oxide
- DL Pthalo Green
- EL Pthalo Blue
- FL Red Oxide
- IL Brown Oxide
- JL Violet
- KXL White
- LL Raw Umber
- RL Exterior Red
- RUL High Hide Red
- TL Medium Yellow
- VL Magenta
- VUL High Hide Violet
- YL High Hide Yellow
Swatches are rough guides to each colorant, not exact.
For a Pantone chip, fabric or a screenshot: type its hex code (Pantone lists it on each color page) or snap a photo and tap the color. Screens and photos shift color, so show the customer a chip before tinting. For an exact match, scan a physical sample with the spectro.check a paint chip before you buy. For an exact match, bring a physical sample to a paint counter that can scan it.
This wall finish keeps its natural color. Pick Painted brick or Stucco under House to paint it.
The sheen bar on the view sets the wall sheen. Limewash works out here too.
Noon on a sunny day shows the color closest to the chip. Morning, dusk and clouds shift it, the same way they do on a real house.
Ceilings stay flat. Trim and doors take the hits, so they get the tougher sheen.
True to the chip: the middle of the back wall matches the color, and corners fall off from there. Screens vary, so always confirm with a real paint sample.
What limewash is
Slaked lime, water and mineral pigment. On bare masonry it soaks in and cures back into limestone, so it isn't a film like paint: it breathes, it's dead flat and chalky, and every wall comes out cloudy and a little different. It goes on dark and dries much lighter. For painted drywall there are mineral washes that give the same look. Neither one likes being scrubbed.
Where it works
- True limewash: bare brick, stone, stucco and unpainted masonry, inside or out. Soak the surface first. No primer.
- Painted drywall: use a mineral wash made for walls, like Romabio Velatura. True limewash can chalk or ghost on drywall. Add a mineral primer if the old paint is glossy or uneven.
- Skip it: high-traffic walls and anything that gets scrubbed, like kids' rooms or behind the stove.
What goes in the basket
- Brick or masonry: a true limewash, like Romabio Classico
- Painted drywall: a mineral wash, like Romabio Velatura, plus mineral primer if the wall is uneven
- 4–6" natural bristle block brush. No roller for the wash itself.
- Bucket, stir stick or paddle mixer, and a jug to measure the water
- Pump sprayer to soak brick first
- Drop cloths, painter's tape, gloves and safety glasses: lime is caustic
Colors that work
Limewash wants mineral colors: warm whites, greige and stone greys, clay and terracotta, sand and ochre, sage, dusty blue, charcoal. Bright, saturated colors go muddy, and the lime lightens everything. Romabio's own shelf colors (Avorio White, Bianco White, Nube Gray, Riposo Beige) are the safe picks. These catalog colors have the same character: tap one to put it on the walls.
Have a color in mind? , tap it, then tap "Build 8 around it". Tap a swatch for details. Lock the ones you like, then shuffle the rest.
One long wall, one color, all six sheens side by side under the same light. Drag on the wall to move the light. Each panel has a patch, a taped seam and roller marks, so you can see what each sheen shows and hides.
Every paint reflects about the same small amount of light. Flat paint's surface is rough, so that light scatters every direction and you just see color. Glossy paint is smooth, so the light bounces back in one direction: bright highlights, window reflections, and every bump, patch and roller mark. It's strongest when you look along the wall, so that's where the difference jumps out.
Colores de madera. Find the paint that looks like caoba, nogal, roble and more. Tap any chip to see it on your walls.
Wood looks are typical of the finished wood, and real boards vary. Colors on screen are close but not exact, so check a paint sample.
Drag across the board to wipe the stain on. Real wood takes stain differently, so pick the species you're working with.
Stain only adds color. The topcoat is what protects the wood and sets the shine.
Stain is color suspended in a liquid. It soaks into the wood's pores, then you wipe away whatever stays on top. Porous wood takes more, so the grain shows through. That's why the same can looks different on oak and pine, and why the sample always goes on your actual wood.
Stain gives color, not protection. Wipe off every bit of the extra, let it dry, and seal it with a topcoat. Stain left sitting on top never dries properly and the finish won't stick to it.
Blotchy patches
Soft wood soaked up stain unevenly. Next time use wood conditioner, or gel stain, which sits closer to the surface. To fix it, sand back and start over; a darker stain can hide mild blotching.
Too dark
Wipe it down right away with a rag dampened with mineral spirits (oil stain) or water (water-based stain). Next time wipe sooner. Once dry, the only way back is sanding.
Too light
Let it sit longer before wiping. With Classic or gel stain, add another coat after it dries. Premium Fast Dry is made for one coat, so test a darker color instead.
Still sticky hours later
Too much was left on the surface. Wipe it with a rag dampened with mineral spirits, let it dry fully, and then topcoat. Cool or damp weather also slows drying.
Bubbles in the poly
The can was shaken, or the coat was over-brushed. Stir gently and lay it on in long, light strokes. Once dry, sand the bubbles flat and recoat.
Lap marks and streaks
The edge dried before the next pass. Work smaller sections, keep a wet edge, and finish with the grain from end to end.
- Oily rags can catch fire by themselves. Never leave them balled up or in the trash. Put them in a sealed, water-filled metal container until you can dispose of them properly.
- Sanding old paint or finish can release lead dust. In older homes, test first.
- Keep windows open and follow the can. Dry times assume about 70°F and 50% humidity, and go longer when it's cool or damp.
Based on Varathane product sheets. Formulas and times change, so the directions on the can win. Stain chips are screen approximations: always test on your own wood.
Start from one color you like, pick the undertone you want, and get swaps and colors that go with it.
Crew
By workers, for workers. Tools for the shift, and fixes for the stuff that wears people down.
Your phone's volume buttons set the top level. Above 100% boosts natural voices only (phone app Settings → Voices).
Pick the customer's language, then type, dictate, or tap a phrase. English turns into the customer's language and theirs turns into English. Mixed sentences work too.
Translations come from Claude and use your Claude account. For anything about safety, chemicals or money, confirm the customer understood.
How can I help?
Anything a customer brings you, any department: products, projects, returns, rentals, orders, or a tough moment at the register.Ask about any project, product or problem. Type it or tap the mic.
Answer options
Your phone's volume buttons set the top level. Above 100% boosts natural voices only (phone app Settings → Voices).
Answers come from Claude and use your own Claude account. The first question asks your permission. Double-check anything safety-related, and confirm prices and stock on the handheld.
Surveys find about half of DIY jobs cost more than planned, so keep a little extra for surprises.
Prices marked "est." are typical prices, not live ones. Type the real price over any of them and it's remembered.
Estimated prices are marked "est." Type the shelf price over any of them and it is remembered for every job. Enter the on-hand count from your handheld or "Check .com" to flag anything you're short on.
Turn this into a quote
For side jobs and contractors. Add your time and markup, then copy it into a text or email.
Snap shelf price tags anywhere in the store. Vex reads them and job tickets use the real your store price instead of a guess.
Quantities are estimates with waste already added. Coverage varies by brand, so confirm on the label. Structural work (decks, tall fences, slabs) may need a permit where you live.
© 2026 ZoNakama. VexApp is an independent app. It is not made, sponsored or endorsed by any store or by any paint brand shown. Behr, Glidden, Sherwin-Williams, Benjamin Moore and Valspar color names and numbers are trademarks of their owners and are used only to identify colors. Screen colors are approximate: check a real chip or sample before you buy.