FAQs

Do I need to book? Do you require a deposit? How can I book?

During weekends and school holidays you will need to book to guarantee a table, as we often get fully booked at these times. During the week in term time, we are more likely to have space available for walk-ins, but we still cannot guarantee availability without a booking! We don’t require a deposit for normal bookings, but we do ask that you let us know as soon as you can if you won’t be able to make it to your booked session so that we can offer your table to someone else. Please contact us directly to check availability and book a table.

How long does it take?

It depends on what you paint and how you paint it! We recommend allowing at least 1.5 hours – some people will finish quicker than this but some will take longer! If you have booked then your booking is for a 2-hour session, although if we don’t need the table after that then you are welcome to stay longer!

What if I haven’t finished painting in time?

Don’t worry! You can take your piece home with you and book to bring it back and finish it another time.

When will my pottery be ready to collect? What if I can’t collect it straight away – how long will you keep it for? Can you deliver?

Your pottery will be ready to collect around 1 week after you have visited us. If you are travelling and want to check whether your items are ready before you come just give us a call or message us and we will check for you. We will keep your items for 3 months but if they are not collected by then unfortunately we do not have the space to keep them indefinitely. Pottery not collected within 3 months will be offered for sale for donations to charity. We do not offer delivery as pottery is very fragile and we do not want to risk it getting broken in transit after all of your hard work! If you have a specific reason why you cannot collect your pottery and need us to keep it for longer please get in touch and we will see what we can do.

Is there a price list? Do you charge a studio fee?

We don’t have a price list as our stock changes very frequently, but our current prices range from £3-£40 – something to suit every budget! We don’t charge a studio fee, our prices include the paints, glazing and firing so there are no hidden costs.

When are you open?

You can view our current opening times here.

Do you sell food and drinks? Can you cater for allergies or dietary requirements?

We offer hot and cold drinks and snacks, please see our menu here. Whilst we can do our best to offer alternative options to cater for your dietary requirements, unfortunately we cannot guarantee that any of our food or drinks are allergen free. To discuss your requirements and see whether we can cater for you, please get in touch. Alternatively, if you have an allergy you are welcome to bring your own food and drinks.

Do you have parking?

Our shop does not have its own car park, but there are several free car parks in Sandbach. The nearest car park is The Commons car park, which offers 2 hours free parking. See our find us page for more details.

Is your shop accessible for pushchairs/prams/wheelchairs etc.? Do you have toilets/baby change facilities?

There is plenty of room in the shop to accommodate prams and wheelchairs, if you let us know when you book then we can make sure we seat you at an accessible table. Large bookings and parties are seated upstairs, so if you cannot manage stairs then please talk to us when you book and we can do our best to accommodate you downstairs. We have a toilet which is down a narrow corridor so is not easy to access via wheelchair, but please feel free to pop in and have a look before your visit to see whether you will be able to manage. We are willing to help if we can but unfortunately the building layout cannot be changed! We also have baby changing facilities.

Is the finished pottery dishwasher and microwave safe?

The finished pottery is not microwave safe. Handwashing is strongly recommended as although the pottery is technically dishwasher safe this can significantly decrease the life of your items.

Can I have my birthday party at Café Glaze?

You can! Please check out our parties page for up to date information.

What age is it suitable for?

Pottery painting at Café Glaze is suitable for any age – if you can hold a paintbrush, you can join in! We have had babies as young as 4 days old come in to do prints, and have had four generations of a family all come to paint together!

Do you do take home kits?

We can offer take home kits – come into the shop and choose what you would like to paint and six colours of paint and we will pack it up for you.

Can you add writing to my pottery for me?

We encourage you to do your own writing as it makes a piece more personal for you, but if you aren’t confident doing this then we can add writing to your pottery for £2 per item. If you write your message on the piece in felt pen, then we will go over this with paint so that your own handwriting is preserved. The felt pen will burn away in the kiln so only the painted writing will remain visible.

What if I want a specific item – can you guarantee it will be in stock?

Our stock changes very frequently so we cannot guarantee what will be in stock at any time. However, if there is a specific item you want please get in touch and we can do our best to help you, depending on availability at our suppliers. If you see an item in the shop that you want to reserve for a future date, we can save it for you – we just ask that you pay for the item when you reserve it and book for your return visit within 1 month.

Do you have pencils so I can draw my design before I paint it?

We don’t recommend using pencils on the pottery as the wax used to bind the lead can affect the glazing process. However, we do have felt pens you can use to draw out your design before you paint it. Anything written using our water based felt pens will burn away in the kiln, so this is a great way to sketch out a design which won’t show on the finished piece!

Do you do baby hand/footprints?

We can help you do hand and footprints on a wide range of items, and we highly recommend looking on Pinterest for ideas if you want to turn your prints into animals or other pictures!

I can’t draw – can I still come?

Absolutely! We have inspiration books and painted items around the shop which you can copy, and we can offer guidance for easy designs and patterns to paint. Often it is the customers who say they can’t draw who end up with the most stunning pieces, just come in and give it a go and see what you can achieve!

Do you provide aprons?

We do have some aprons available, but all the paints come off easily in the wash!

Do you have special events?

We do regular grown-up only evenings, and occasionally other one-off events. See our events page for the latest information.

Can you accommodate large groups, and do you do discounts for large group bookings?

The largest group we can fit on a table downstairs is 10 people. For groups larger than this please contact us via email and we will see whether we can make arrangements to accommodate you. We cannot offer discounts as we aim to keep our prices as low as we can for all of our customers!