John - are you passing on the $200 labor savings to the customer? I doubt it as you'd still be working for wages and it'd be unusual for someone with that mentality to garner the knowledge you have. Most setters are going to charge a set "fee" for a shower pan or per sq. foot of tile. If they do it faster they pocket more, if slower they make less. Just the business. Not a lot of TQM studies in the trades. So for the consumer, it's just not a selling point. Cheaper material cost is something they get behind frequently. Another problem I have , more of a reservation with these products is they are not "time tested" like 20 years real world tested like a mud job over tar paper. Don't get me wrong , I like these things, spec and use them all ( except the Laticrete) , just have that little feeling in the back of the mind like: Am I going to be the guy that touted polybutylene or GP siding. Those were "the latest and greatest" until they weren't 20 years later. Another thing consumers need to be aware of with the liquid applied membranes is that strict thickness guidelines need to be followed for them to work and I rarely see enough of the stuff applied in the field by mechanics. Another issue of concern is with hybrid methods. I'm sure you guys are all upstanding and care about you rep, but you are providing the warranty in these systems as the manuf. will only step up if you use the complete system. That's fine as long as the end user is aware of this.

I have Lowe's (2 versions), Pittsburgh, BM and another one I can't think of off the top of my head. Anyway, of those, I much prefer using Lowe's CD, colors are more realistic when painted on imported photos. BM tends to come out cartoony sometimes. Drawback is there is no true red or black on Lowe's if you need it (my latest version is a couple years old tho). I jump to BM if I need a true black or red. Also, Lowes CD only includes their specialty lines (M Stewart, Eddie Bauer, etc), not their Valspar line. But still, it's got a huge selection of colors and will be a good guide. But as funcolors says, it's not accurate. So you have to toss all color names and #s out the window. Use it backwards. Find what colors don't work (and you'll see it readily.) Once you rule out what does not work, and find those that do, then go out and search for real life swatches that are close. The CDs are not hard to use at all and they sure can save a lot of time and grief. ;-) Oh, a tip. When using a painting program, make sure the photo you want to import is clear, crisp and most importantly the lighting is good and bright. Dull, dark, fuzzy photos often have to be enhanced in a photo edit program before getting best results in paint software.

If you have a PC, CBN Selector. Photoshop is really the best way to paint virtually but it's certainly not free and the learning curve is steep. No matter what you use, you can't pay any attention to the color names. Like, can't have a chip of SW Universal Khaki and select Universal Khaki on CBN and have it come out looking like the paint chip because it won't. You have to play around with the colors to find one that looks like Universal Khaki on your screen.

Are there any good free ones out there? Free or expensive, they all work the same. The apps and programs use a very small color space called sRGB. It displays only a fraction of the colors we see in real life. And to make matters worse, the colors you see from a device or computer monitor are comprised of wavelengths of light that's beamed to your eyeballs. Paint color in real life is reflected wavelengths to your eyeballs. Two completely different visual sensations - one absolutely can not mimic the other accurately. So, if you're struggling with color choices for you kitchen, the apps and programs aren't going to help unless you want to use them to simply search for color names or inspirational photos.