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About Us
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Stencil Gallery is a family business managed by Nicholas Orr and his mother Helen. The business has been operating from Glebe, Sydney, since 2004. Apart from the range of over 3500 decorative stencils Stencil Gallery's signage stencil division specialises in providing corporate and industrial clients with logos, roadmarking, labelling and promotional stencils.
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Our showroom is only 2km from the Sydney CBD at the Blackwattle Bay end of Glebe Point Road. There is free parking for 2 hours in front and if you're catching the bus from the city take the 431 and exit one stop after Wigram Road. If you are interstate we are happy to give advice by email or phone during normal working hours.
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FAQ
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These are some frequently asked questions by customers
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| How do I order a product on your website? |
| Position your cursor over the item code, eg: SGM10, and the cursor will change to a hand shape. Click with the mouse and a new shopping cart page will open. You can then choose to "Continue Shopping", ie: add more items to the shopping cart, or "Check-Out" which will take you to a new page where you enter all your details. You'll notice down the list that the Country code automatically defaults to "United States". If you're a local customer just click on the drop down menu and select "Australia. Wait a moment for the screen to refresh and then type in your State, eg: NSW, in the box below. |
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| How long does it take for delivery? |
| We sell two ranges of stencils - those with the code "SG" are cut here in Sydney and we try to keep stock of each design. Allow the normal Australia Post delivery time of a couple of days. This also applies to the decals which we cut in Sydney. All other stencils are cut in the UK so allow 7-10 days for the stencils to arrive in Australia and then add on normal Australia Post delivery times. |
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| What currency are the stencils quoted in? |
All prices on the Stencil Gallery website are in Australian Dollars (incl.GST) and there is a Postage and Handling cost of $12.95 per order, so why not order a brush along with your stencil at the same time? Orders from overseas may require an additional postage charge if the package is heavy - we will advise you by email if this is the case and get your approval beforehand.
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| What is the difference between stencils and your decals? |
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Stencils are pieces of polyester film with the graphic design cut out, so you stencil through the holes with an artists acrylic paint or oil paintstiks. Decals are stickers made from a commercial grade self-adhesive vinyl film like the ones signwriters use on windows.
Stencils allow more flexibility as you can choose the exact colour paint to use, and you can use the stencil repeatedly, even using small pieces of it for different projects. They are economical because you only need one stencil and can use it multiple times in different ways – so are much cheaper than wallpaper, and you can be more creative.
The decals range from about 2m sizes down to small decals to stick onto glass doors and mirrors. They can only be applied once but are quick to install and make a huge impact – and don’t involve any painting.
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| What are the stencils made of? |
| Our stencils are made out high quality polyester film called polyester film which is a semi-opaque. We have three thicknesses:
125 microns is the thinnest and very easy to stencil. Most of the UK range we sell is this thickness. It looks quite flimsy but is strong and with care works well. Until recently all our Australian range were cut in this thickness and some stocks are still in this thickness.
190 microns: We now use this thickness for our Australian-cut repeating stencils as you can easily see through the transparent film to match up the design and it is more durable than the 125 microns.
250 microns: Most of the motifs and borders in our Australian range are now this thickness which is very strong and durable. You can still see through the material but not as well as the thinner polyester films. These are great if you want to use stencil plaster through the stencil, if the stencils are going to be used by children, and they can be hung on a hook unlike the thinner stencils. If you have a special preference please let us know when ordering. |
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| What will the decals stick to? |
| The coloured decals will stick on glass, mirrors, stainless steel and other metal surfaces really well. However, we have found that some wall surfaces are not suitable – especially if they are a flat paint, recently painted, or have any dampness in them. So if you want a decal for your wall we recommend using a special thicker matt black vinyl which sticks really well. |
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| What colours can the decals be made in? |
| We have a standard range of colours but we can order another colour for you from a huge range for an extra cost (usually $20). |
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| Can the decals be removed? |
| If the decal is on a wall just place your fingernail under an edge and peel the decal off when you want a change or are moving, but they cannot be reused. If the decal is on glass or a mirror you can use a hairdryer to warm up the vinyl to make it remove easier. You may need to use adhesive remover on the glass if there is any adhesive adhering to it afterwards. |
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| Can I get one of your stencils or decals made larger? |
| Yes. We can increase the size of most of the stencils and decals. A rough idea of cost is double the size, double the price. |
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| How do you clean the stencils? |
| It is not necessary to clean your stencils unless you get a thick buildup of paint which blocks the holes. Some paints clean off easier than others. Liquitex washes off with hot water and a soft brush, but Jo Sonja sticks a bit more. Simple Green detergent works well – place the stencil on a piece of plastic (a cut open green garbage bag is great) and spray well. Pat the plastic down over the top and leave overnight. The paint should come off with a soft brush and water. We even put our stencils in Lacquer Thinners if necessary to remove old paint but it is a dangerous product. If you use paintstiks you will find your stencils remain quite clean anyway. |
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| How do I store my stencils? |
| Place on kitchen baking paper if they are sticky, or sprinkle on talc powder to stop the stickiness. If you do this you will need to wipe off the powder with damp cloth before using again. Store flat if small. Large ones can be treated as above and rolled up and put in Post Office tubes. Take them out a couple of days before you want to use them again and roll back the other way to make them flat again. |
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| Can I use the stencil to do an embossed canvas? |
| Yes, our 250 micron stencils are great for this because they are stiff and can be lifted up off the plaster easily. You can then paint the canvas all over, and replace the stencil over the plaster to highlight the design in a different colour. |
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| Can I stencil on fabric? |
| Yes. It is very easy to stencil on fabric of all kinds. Use 3M Repositionable Spray adhesive on a piece of cardboard large enough for the stencil and smooth the fabric over it to keep it from moving. Then spray the back of the stencil and place it onto the fabric. You can use various paints – Jo Sonja artists colours requires a textile medium 50/50; Liquitex is fine on its own, and screen printers paint is fine without any additive. |
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| Can I stencil my roller blinds? |
| Vinyl is difficult to stencil onto because the paint might not key properly and therefore scratch off with use. You could try in an inconspicuous place to check. You can certainly stencil onto fabric roller blinds and a blind which has fabric on the front and a vinyl block-out backing. |
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| Can the stencils be used with etching mediums? |
| Yes, the stencils can be used with Etchall which etches the glass but doesn’t harm the stencil. Make sure the stencil is well adhered to the glass by using the 3M Repositionable Spray Adhesive beforehand. |
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| Are your stencils one sheet or multi-layered? |
| Most of our stencils are one layer designs. If you want to stencil part of the design in one colour and part in another colour you just need to hold a piece of card or plastic over the part you don’t want painted. There are a few multi-layered stencils where you paint each sheet with a different colour, using the registration marks to match up the layers, much like screen printing. |
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| Can you make a stencil for me of my own design? |
| Yes, we have a custom service for this. If your design – for example a company logo - has already been done by a graphic artist you will probably have a computer file we can use which only requires us to ‘stencillize’ the design by adding bridges to turn it into a stencil. This is a specialised skill based on our years of designing stencils.
If you have drawn an original design, our graphic artist may need to trace your design on the computer, work on making all the lines perfectly curved or straightened, and then ‘stencillize’ the design to ensure it all holds together as a stencil. If a lot of design work is required this can be quite expensive – but we can give you a quote if you email us your design. |
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| Do you have a decorating service? |
| Yes, if you are in the Sydney region we can come to your office or home to stencil your walls or floors. We can give you a rough quote beforehand but will need to charge a fee to visit your premises for a quote, depending on where you are. |
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| How do I determine the sizes of the stencils? |
| The sizes are first shown in inches and then in mm or cm. The size always refers to the cut-out area – not the sheet of stencil film. The first dimension is always the height of the stencil and the second the width. Although the illustrations in the catalogue and on the website, especially the borders, appear to show the stencils being of uniform size, this is merely a graphic device to aid readability. It is important for you to check the measurements to ensure the stencil size will be appropriate for its intended use. |
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| What is your returns policy? |
| As the stencils and decals are cut to order we can only accept returns for exchange or refund if the stencil is faulty. In order to avoid disappointment please check the information on the size of the stencil or decal very carefully before ordering. |
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| Is the shopping cart secure? |
| Yes. For your protection all credit card information is encrypted and processed on a secure server and we follow strict privacy codes and will not pass on any of your details to any other party. Your email address will automatically be added to our email list for e-newsletters highlighting any new ranges or specials. If you do not wish to be on the mailing list please advise us. |
