FAQ’s

Is this site secure for ordering?

Yes! There are two ways to check if our site (or anyone else’s for that matter) is secure. Once you get to the secure section of the site (the part of the ordering section where you enter your payment details) look at the web site address at the top of the screen. It should start with ‘https’ (non-secure pages only start with ‘http’). Also, either at the top, or the bottom of your screen (depending on your browser) a little padlock icon will appear on secure pages.

I've sent an email enquiry but not had a response. Why?

We work very hard on providing good customer service and it is a point of pride with us to try to respond to every email we receive within 48 hours maximum (if not before!). Some emails, although extremely few, simply go missing – either your enquiry did not reach us, or our reply did not reach you. If you have spamkillers and firewalls set up on your email account, sometimes genuine emails like ours do not get through – even if it is a direct reply to your original email. We have the most problems with aol and hotmail addresses. If you have not had a reply to your enquiry within 2 days, please email us again and provide us with alternative contact details such as an address or phone number so we can try to get back to you by other means. Or, check your spam file, our response may be sitting there. Our full contact details, including phone numbers and our address, are in the contacts details section of our web site. Please note that our office hours are 9:30-5:30 Mon-Fri UK time (GMT/BST) excluding weekend and holidays.

I'm trying to place an order but when I get to a certain point, I cannot get any further. Why?

If ever you encounter a problem using our site, please, please, please send us an email with full details. Web sites are configured in different ways and we try and make ours as user friendly and compatible with servers, browsers and your computer as possible. But each server/browser/computer etc. is different. If we do not know about the problem then we cannot fix it or help you through it.

How long does shipping take and what's the cost?

We ship worldwide. To keep our shipping charges low, we use Royal Mail postal services for UK and international. Shipping times vary depending on where you are. We aim to dispatch your order within 2 days of receiving it. UK orders are sent by 1st class post, the cost is £3.50 and parcels should take 1-2 days to arrive. Special Delivery is a guaranteed overnight postal service to most UK destinations, it requires a signature on arrival and costs £7.50. Please place your order by 11.00 am to give us time to make your stencils when an express service is requested.

Orders to European Union countries go by priority economy airmail, shipping is £7.00 and takes 3 to 7 working days depending on destination.  Orders to the rest of the world travel by priority economy airmail, the shipping fee is £10.00 and deliveries take around 7-14 business days. The service is reliable and economical but is not tracked. We can also send orders by express courier. Prices vary depending on destination and weight of parcel. An average cost is £29.00  and takes 2 to 5 days business days to most international destinations. If you would liked a tracked or an express delivery please contact us and we will give you a costing for your approval before we make or dispatch your goods.

Customers are responsible for paying any local taxes or fees that may be applicable on receiving goods in some countries.

Do you have a paper catalogue?

I am sorry, we no longer produce a paper catalogue. All our stencils are listed on our website. We do produce a CD Rom catalogue which has most, but not all of the range. The CD Rom also has about 180 colour photographs on it for inspiration.

Are your stencils protected under copyright? Can I use them on items that I sell?

All our stencils are protected under copyright. If you are interested in purchasing stencils to use on items that you then sell, then you must contact us before ordering and talk to us about what you want to do.

If I have damaged my stencil, what can I do?

Please contact us. We will help you through your problem and ‘talk’ you through a solution. Our stencils are designed to be reusable and with the proper care should last an average size project. Instructions for use come with the stencil and also appear on our web-site. We have a guarantee in place whereby you can order a replacement stencil (the same design) for half the usual price.

What is a stencil?

A stencil is, to put it simply, a piece of polyester stencil film with a pattern cut out. They come in many styles, sizes and configurations such as borders, repeats, motifs, panels and tiles. The beauty of stencilling is that you have absolute control over where you put the pattern, how you use it and the colours that you use. It is an incredibly flexible decorating tool. You can also use it to add pattern to different surfaces: walls, furniture, fabrics to name a few. Also, because you are working with paint, when you fancy a change, you can just paint over it and stencil something else.

Who are The Stencil Library? Tell me more about you.

The Stencil Library was established in 1988 and, from the outset, we have set out to design stencils that cover a variety of styles from the traditional and historical to the contemporary and modern to the just plain fun. We are still a small company with an emphasis on design and customer service. We have the largest stencil range in the world designed by a single source. In the main, we sell stencils by mail order but we also design to commission, undertake both private and commercial decorating work and run occasional stencilling courses. Our goal has always been to expand the tradition of stencilling to the widest definition possible. We are always working on new designs – many never seen in stencil format before – and working on new styles of stencilling. All the people who work here are passionate about stencilling and happy to help you with planning your project. Our stencils have received wide coverage in magazines (see our ‘As Seen In’ section), on television programs, have been used on movie sets and in numerous books.