Got a burning question? Looking for more info about one of our products, services, or a pending order? Check out our list of frequently asked questions below for some quick answers. If your question isn’t answered here, get in touch and we're always happy to help.

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WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE FOUR FRENCHIC RANGES?

Before we go into the differences, what all our paint ranges have in common is that they are all EU-approved environmentally safe, with no toxins, VOCs, odour or solvents. They are all EN71.3 credited, which means they are nursery, pet and child-safe, as well as safe during pregnancy. All the ranges are also self-priming, which means no sanding or priming needed. The Lazy and Al Fresco ranges are also self-levelling and self-sealing, which means no need for a sealant after painting. 

Now, the differences.

We’ve got FOUR different ranges. We’ve got the Original/Artisan Range, which is a chalk paint which you use in the usual way as in you seal it either using a wax  or using the Finishing Coat. The Original/Artisan Range is the easiest to distress and play around with. 

We then have the Lazy Range, which is fantastic if you don’t particularly like waxing, as we’ve got the wax already in it.  So as you paint it on the piece of furniture, it is sealed and it comes out looking a bit like a mat-velvet, but with the mild characterise sheen of wax. 

We've got the Al Fresco Range, which is undoubtably our most popular range by far. It’s easy to see why. As it says on the tin, it’s an Inside/Outside paint, which means it’s brilliant for your home furniture (of course), but also for all your outside  bits and pieces in the garden, fences, dog houses, stable doors, terracotta pots, plastic pots, seats, anything in the garden and actually people use it to paint their UPVC front doors as well. More interestingly, in 2019, it was announced that the Al Fresco Range is officially tested and approved as a Tile Paint! This makes it the perfect paint of choice for bathrooms, floors, kitchens, backsplashes. It’s heat and water proof too, and totally washable, making it perfect for kitchen cabinets. So it’s a super paint, needs practically no preparation, other than making sure the piece is completely clean, no cobwebs, no algae, a good old scrub and then apply the paint, it goes a jolly long way and it doesn’t need to be sealed afterwards. 

And most recently, we do also have now the beautiful chalk Wall Paints. It is absolutely dead, flat mat, but it’s fully scrubbable, don’t ask me how it does that, but it does. It goes on like a dream. The Wall Paint range has the mos incredible coverage you will ever see (1 to 2 coats only) with no odour - you could paint your dining room walls in the morning and eat in the same room in the evening with no painty smell. Our Wall Paint now has the protocol to paint interior wooden flooring, even concrete and laminate too! Just make sure your surface is in good condition and clean and dry and away you go! (Don't walk on it for approx 4 hours and wear socks until it's fully cured after 7 days). Really, this paint just keeps on giving!

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IS FRENCHIC THE SAME AS OTHER CHALK PAINTS IN THE MARKET?

No, it’s not. The “mineral” in Frenchic Chalk and Mineral Paint refers to the pigments used which are harvested from the earth. Using natural rather than synthetic pigments allows for greater depth in colour and better durability to UV light and time. Once cured, a surface painted with Frenchic's Lazy and Al Fresco ranges is both water and stain proof. No primer or top coat is required, making it more of a one-step paint.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO BEFORE PAINTING YOUR FURNITURE?

Frenchic chalk and mineral paint requires none to very little prep. The surface should be clean, dry, grease-free and free of penetrating substances. A good scrub with some Frenchic Sugar Soap will do the trick. A light sanding before painting is also recommended for certain pieces (for example over marble or ultra glossy surfaces,or for a surface that is currently chipping/peeling off), however, it isn’t normally necessary.

 

DO YOU NEED TO SAND FURNITURE FIRST?

No, no sanding required, all you need to do is wash with Sugar Soap (sometimes even just regular dish soap with hot water will do). This will just remove any grease, that’s on the piece of furniture. If there is grease on the furniture, it won’t matter how many coats of paint you use, it will just go straight through and you will have a grease mark through the paint. By washing it first you get rid of the grease and then you can apply the paint, usually two coats is required. If it’s a dark piece of furniture and you are using pale colours, you might need three, possibly four at times. No preparation in terms of sanding or priming. 

 

HOW LONG DOES FRENCHIC PAINT TAKE TO DRY?

Drying and curing are two different things.

Dry time usually refers to the touch or tackiness. Frenchic Furniture Paint should dry to the touch within an hour or two. Cure time is approximately 21 days, similar to all water-based paints on the market. What does this mean? You can still use your piece gently, however the paint will be at its strongest, hard-as-nails finish, to resist any marks, the longer it has to cure.

Once Frenchic has cured, the durability is unrivalled.

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WHAT CAN YOU USE FRENCHIC ON?

The question should be what can't you use Frenchic on? You can use it to paint pretty much everything: Wood, laminate, mef, chipboard, tiles, floors, pvc and upvc doors, kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanities, metals, glass, plastic, leather... It's mind boggling really.

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HOW MUCH PAINT DO YOU NEED FOR YOUR PROJECTS?

Frenchic Paint has an excellent coverage which goes a very long way. A 750ml tin of Frenchic's Lazy and Al Fresco ranges, cover approximately 7.5m² (80.75 sq ft) per coat. Bear in mind that most surfaces need between 2 to 3 coats for full coverage. To calculate size: multiply the length and width together. For eg, a surface that is 2m x 5 = 10m².

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CAN WE REALLY PAINT TILES; KITCHEN CABINETS AND BACKSPLASHES; BATHROOM VANITIES; WALLS/FLOORS; AND INTERIOR/EXTERIOR DOORS WITH FRENCHIC?

Yes, absolutely. After vigorous testing, our Frenchic Al Fresco range has been approved and certified to paint tiles, walls, kitchens, bathrooms, interior and exterior doors, as well as your regular interior furniture without any priming or sealant (although we do recommend a couple layers of Finishing Coat if you're painting floors). Al Fresco is totally waterproof, UV proof and heat resistant. It's magic in a tin really. 

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CAN WE USE ANY OF THE OTHER RANGES TO PAINT THE SAME (i.e. TILES, KITCHENS, BATHROOMS, FLOORS, DOORS, WALLS, ETC)?

Yes, absolutely. All three ranges (Original/Artisan; Lazy and Al Fresco can be used for all your painting needs. However, since it's only the Al Fresco range that is washable and water-proof, the other ranges will have to be sealed with Finishing Coat to ensure a solid, water-proof finish.

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WHAT IS THE CRACKLE GLAZE?

Crackle Glaze is fabulous if you are wanting to add some texture or some age. This is very easy to apply. Base coat is the colour that you paint on first  and that’s the colour that will show through. Then you apply your coat of Easy Crackle which looks like clear varnish; and when it is completely dry , you then put your top coat over  and whatever the colour is underneath, is the colour that will show through in the cracks. Once you have done that you can then highlight those cracks by using one of the different waxes that we sell. It really is that easy.

 

WHAT ARE THE USES FOR THE FINISHING COAT?

Ah, Finishing Coat, if I could drink it we would. It’s fabulous stuff [We don’t recommend anyone to actually drink it]. It goes a long way. If you are using it to seal your Original Paint range, which might be something perhaps in a child’s room, or your table top, this will protect it and make it, absolutely robust and water proof. Table legs and things like that get a lot of scuffs and this is very good for that. We also use it for any thing to do with Decoupage, using it as both the glue and the sealer afterwards. Sometimes when you are painting things you will get bleed though, that’s when a stain from a previous paint finish, or something like a dark mahogany with an old varnish, will create a stain that comes through. It won’t matter how many times you paint over it, it will always come through (most of you will know it as the famous « bleed through » curse), unless you seal it with something. The Finishing Coat is really good for that. It’s a really versatile product. Did we say it’s also fully washable? Oh yes! And food grade safe too.

 

CAN YOU MIX THE COLOURS?

Yes you can mix colours, across all three paint ranges. It’s a good idea to use a measure though, so that you can recreate it. When mixing colours across ranges, remember that mixing Original with either the Lazy of Al Fresco ranges will mean that the wax/topcoat quality of the paint has been diluted and would need to be topped off.

 

CAN YOU USE FINISHING COAT OVER THE LAZY RANGE?

Yes you can, if I was painting my kitchen using the lazy range, I would then finish it with Finishing Coat, to make sure it’s fully washable and heat/moisture resistant. 

 

CAN YOU USE ANY BRUSH?

You could use any brush, it’s like anything, if you intend to do something a lot and you want to do it to the best of your ability it’s always a good idea to have the right tools for the job, and the brushes we sell fit our paint products. So yes, if you plan to paint more than just a single piece, invest in a quality brush;  it will last you a very long time, just wash it out with warm, soapy water, under the tap, make sure it’s dry and it’ll keep you going for ages and ages.

 

HOW DO WE USE FRENSHEEN?

It is another use for the wonderful Finishing Coat or our Oh-my-Gosh wax. We sell these lovely little pots of a glittery sort of metallic. skin-safe powder called Frensheen, which you can use for creating a metallic paint, a metallic glaze, a gilding wax, or just for highlighting things.  To create a metallic paint with full coverage, mix the powder and the finishing coat together, to the consistency of roughly double cream.  To turn it into a glaze, keep adding water. The more water you add, the thinner the glaze transparency. You can mix the Frensheen in a Tupperware container, it will keep for ages.  If it gets dried out you just put in some more finishing coat.  You can use it to highlight with a dry brush to pick out anything with lots of detail on it, to accentuate it. To turn it into a gilding wax, mix the Frensheen powder directly into the clear wax. Couldn’t be easier. Oh, and did we say the Frensheen is make-up grade. It’s so safe you could literally use it as eye-shadow (not that we encourage it).

 

SOME OF THE COLOURS CAN BE THICKER THAN THE REST. IS THERE ANY WAY TO THIN IT?

Frenchic Furniture Paint is a chalk & mineral paint, hence a completely different consistency from standard chalk paint. We suggest using our Frenchic Furniture Paint ‘as is’; however, on occasion, there are colours that are thicker than the rest; and those can be thinned using water. Water is also brilliant if spraying the paint with a spray machine;. It it is best to pour the paint into another container and then add water so as to not contaminate the entire tin of paint with the water. We also recommend lightly spritzing your brush, instead of adding water to the paint, especially when you just want a bit more of a fluid movement rather than to thin down a paint.

 

WHAT ARE VOCS; AND WHAT MAKES FRENCHIC FURNITURE PAINT DIFFERENT?

VOC’s are volatile organic compounds that are found in many paints. These chemicals evaporate and can easily get into the air at room temperature. They are harmful to both your health and the environment. Frenchic is different from most other brands of chalk/mineral paint available in that it has no added VOCs, which is very different from having low VOCs.

 

IS FRENCHIC SAFE TO USE ON CHILDREN'S FURNITURE AND TOYS?

Absolutely. Frenchic Furniture Paint has been certified as being safe to use on children’s furniture and toys as per EN71:3. Even pregnant women can use it without fear; as can new mums whose little ones insist on biting down on their recently painted toys/furniture.

 

WHAT IS FRENCHIC'S INDOOR/OUTDOOR AL FRESCO RANGE'S DURABILITY IN OUR UAE SUMMERS?

Brilliant! Frenchic has been thoroughly tested at extreme temperatures both hot and cold, including rain and snow. Frenchic’s unique exterior chalk paint was originally developed to transform and protect outside wooden furniture; but has since grown to include superior coverage and adhesion for walls, floors, tiles, kitchens, bathrooms, masonry, painted garage doors, UPVC and PVC doors, plastic garden furniture, wood, veneer, laminate, mdf, chipboard, etc. Will cover in two to three coats, but leave to dry either indoors or in good weather conditions (ie not in rain or dust). It is washable with up to 6 years performance before the first maintenance. Plain/bare metal or steel will need a base of Finishing Coat to prevent rusting and UPVC and plastic a quick sand to key. Untreated redwood, cedar, mahogany that have resin filled knots may need a coat of FC. EN:71-3 certified (childsafe). Hard wearing and no stirring or shaking or adding water. Does not require a top coat.

 

HOW LONG SHOULD I LEAVE THE PAINT TO DRY BEFORE WAXING OR USING THE FINISHING COAT?

After painting, leave your furniture to dry for at least 30 minutes. In the case of Al Fresco, please five the paint 2 hours between coats.

 

DO CLING-ON BRUSHES REALLY SELF-CLEANSE?

Nearly so. If you put them in water after painting, and change the water daily, yes, your bush will self-cleanse. Cling-Ons are water babies. They work best in water.

 

HOW DO YOU CLEAN UP STENCILS AND STAMPS AFTER USE?

As soon as you've finished using your stencils and stamps, wipe them clean with baby wipes. Then rinse out in warm water and soap.

 

WHAT DO YOU USE TO STENCIL?

You can use an old chip-brush, a sponge or a mini roller to stencil. Our favourite is the roller technique; but use whatever you are most comfortable with. The key to a successful stencilling job is using as little paint as possible. Too much will cause the paint to seep under the plastic of the stencil and leave a blurry bleed through. 

 

CAN WHEN SHABBY MEETS CHIC DO OUR PAINT JOBS FOR US?

We have a team of contractors and artists-in-residence who can paint and customise your homes for you. All our contractors/artisans are third party and work independently from When Shabby Meets Chic. We do not benefit or make any profits from recommending them or any interactions with them. Please see footer at the bottom of this page or click here to find a link to our In-house artisans and Contractors, to contact them directly.

 

WHICH PAYMENT METHODS DO YOU ACCEPT?

We currently offer you the option to pay online through a payment link from service providers Zbooni, that is sent to you via whatsapp/email or through cash on pick up. 

We currently do not accept Cash on Delivery (COD). 

Orders that are picked up in person from When Shabby Meets Chic can be paid for either in cash or via our Zbooni online link.

 

HOW DOES DELIVERY WORK?

We don’t believe in complicating things, so here's our (very short) list of delivery options and rates: 
Delivery:

When Shabby Meets Chic offers UAE-wide delivery at a flat rate of Aed22 anywhere in the UAE (except out of city areas which are charged at aed40). We'll package and send these parcels via a third party courier service. 

Once it's on its way we will email you the tracking details and it should be delivered to your door within 1 to 3 working days (out of city areas may take up to 7 working days). 

Pick Up: 

Pick-ups are more than welcome. We are in the Radisson Damac Hills and Mirdif (contact us for pick up timings and location map as we are currently back and forth between the two locations). If you have selected the Click and Collect option, and we haven't heard from you within the day, we will contact you to touch base on a time when you can collect.​

There are no additional charges for paying in cash on collection.

Orders that are not paid for within 48 hours may be cancelled.

 

WHAT IS YOUR RETURN POLICY?

Goods once purchased are considered final sale. There are no exchanges or refunds available for any merchandise, unless damaged. If a product you have received is damaged, it can be exchanged for the same or similar product. Damaged items need to be returned within seven calendar days from the date it was received. In the event that what you have ordered does not have a suitable replacement, you will have the option to choose between store credit to purchase other products from our store, or a cash refund. Store Credit is valid for 90 days, after which it expires.

To be eligible for a return, your item must be unused and in the same condition that you received it, be in the original packaging, and you need to have the receipt or proof of purchase. Products once opened are not subject to exchange. In order to claim exchange for a damaged product, please: Email us at muby.astruc@ruby-and-sons.com. Subject should be Exchange [Order Number]. Please provide a detailed explanation of the damage, along with photographs of the damaged item prior to opening it, or taking it out of the box (when relevant). Please list your contact number on the email. A member of our team will contact you shortly. In the event that the order was sent to you via delivery, We will organise collection and inspection of your damaged product within 7 days of receiving your email. We will update you on the status of your exchange after inspecting the item.​

 

HOW CAN I TRACK MY ORDER?

Once your order has been approved and your package is ready to leave our warehouse, you will receive an email with an Airway Bill 'AWB' tracking code. Simply visit the link sent to you, which will lead to the website of the courier company handling your order; and enter your tracking code. Should you have any further questions, do not hesitate to contact us at muby.astruc@ruby-and-sons.com

 

WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I RECEIVE MY ORDER INCORRECT OR INCOMPLETE?

Oupsies! We are human and error may occasionally happen. In the event that we could have sent you an item that is different to what you ordered, or not sent you an item you have ordered, please call us immediately on +971-50-6328176 or email us on muby.astruc@ruby-and-sons.com

We'll fix the problem, at no extra charge to you.

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ARE ALL YOUR PRODUCTS REALLY CRUELTY-FREE?

Yes. We take extreme care to never stock a product or item that has been tested on animals, contains animals parts, or is linked to the animal food industry. Our products are also environmentally friendly. All of our brushes are synthetic fibre. We would never sell a brush with animal bristle on it. Our paints are certified EN71:3 and EU-approved as environmentally friendly. This means no VOC, no solvents, no odour and extremely safe to use around children and animals. We care about our Earth; and we care about the humans and animals that inhabit it. When Shabby Meets Chic has made it a personal mission to never sell a single product that is not cruelty-free.

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HOW DO I JOIN THE FRENCHIC FAMILY OF RETAILERS?

As long as you have a physical location to sell from, and a passion for paint, we'd love to have you onboard. Please see our Become A Stockist section to apply.

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Got a question we haven't answered? Send us an email to muby.astruc@ruby-and-sons.com or call/whatsapp on +971506328176