If you're placing your sleepers onto a hard surface, such as concrete or patio, they can just go straight on top, but if they're going onto the lawn or soil, you'll need to dig a shallow trench for the first sleeper to sit in.
Railway sleepers can be laid on soil, but it's important to prepare the ground properly before installation. First, remove any debris and level the soil to create a flat surface. You're best removing any grass or weeds then adding a base layer of gravel or sand to help with drainage.
Prepare the foundation.
This involves digging a shallow trench and then adding in the foundations. You can either opt for concrete, sand or gravel foundations or lay the sleepers on the soil with no official foundation.
When placed in the ground, sleepers are in constant contact with soil, which holds moisture. Without proper protection, this dampness can lead to the wood rotting, especially in areas with heavy rainfall. The UK's unpredictable weather doesn't help either!
The gravel acts as a drainage layer, allowing water to flow away from the sleepers and into the ground below. It acts as a natural conduit, guiding the water away from the vulnerable wooden sleepers. This prevents moisture build-up and helps to keep the sleepers dry and structurally sound.
Providing Sufficient Drainage
This is by far the most important part of any successful sleeper installation. If water is allowed to sit against timber it will start to rot after a matter of a few years, even with pressure treated softwood or oak sleeper that have been treated before installation.
If you use gravel for a more practical purpose, such as a footpath or driveway then it is advised that you dig down roughly a minimum of 15cm and place a sub-base of 100mm before laying around 50mm of gravel on top. This prevents the gravel from moving and sinking under various weights and movements.
If you have well-draining soil, a layer of gravel or crushed stone can be an excellent option. Garden design with sleepers and gravel offers various benefits. Gravel allows for proper drainage, preventing water from pooling and potentially causing damage to the sleeper structure.
As a rule, hardwood oak sleepers tend to last the longest naturally with an expected lifespan of around 100 years. An untreated softwood will last for between three and five years if it sits on the ground, whilst treated softwoods can last between 20 and 30 years if they are maintained correctly.
Yes, you can lay railway sleepers directly on soil - but it's not always the best choice. For light garden features like paths or decorative borders, direct laying can work well if you prepare the ground properly. But for anything structural or permanent, you'll want proper foundations.
Place your sleepers: Position the sleepers into the trench, ensuring they fit snugly against one another. Level them out: Check with a spirit level to make sure all sleepers are even. Secure with spikes: Drive long metal spikes through pre-drilled holes in each sleeper down into the ground below.
If the ground is soft or uneven, we think the best option would be to concrete them into place. If the ground is firm, a wooden stake driven into each sleeper and attached to the sleep should hold them securely in place. Make sure to dig for the sleepers and the stakes when digging the shapes.
Hardwood sleepers are renowned for their durability, strength, and longevity. Oak, Karri, Jarrah, and Birch are common types of hardwood used in sleeper construction. Hardwoods have closed cell structures that make them less prone to rotting compared to softwoods.
Pilot through the first fixing holes then move the timber into position, so it's butted up against your second timber length. Sleepers are best constructed on a firm and level surface such as soil, grass, decking or concrete, however, you should still use a spirit level to ensure the surface is as level as possible.
Start with a layer or two of newspaper or cardboard over the grass. This layer effectively blocks light from reaching the grass, causing it to die over time. Wet the paper to help keep it in place. Then, layer additional organic material over the paper (like layers of lasagna).
Garden sleepers are large rectangular sawn timber pieces and were traditionally used to lay rail tracks on. They are extremely versatile and now used in a variety of landscaping and gardening environments such as raised beds, lawn and border edging, steps, pathways and retaining walls.
Dig out area of bed to depth of 50-75mm. Start laying out the bottom course of sleepers, fixing them to the ground with metal rods.
A pressure treated fence post can generally last 10 to 25 years.
Reclaimed railway sleepers are likely to last for decades above ground if left untreated. This said, applying a wood preservative or wood oil will help to protect the timber for longer. Reproduction railway sleepers are usually made from Oak or Pine. They can be bought untreated and pre-preserved.
If you're placing your sleepers onto a hard surface, such as concrete or patio, they can just go straight on top, but if they're going onto the lawn or soil, you'll need to dig a shallow trench for the first sleeper to sit in.
One of the biggest enemies of wooden sleeper walls is moisture. When wood is constantly exposed to rain, irrigation water, or groundwater, it absorbs moisture. Over time, this damp environment allows wood-decaying fungi to thrive.
Some gardeners use lining between the interior of their raised bed and soil to protect the wood. Even with the lining, you'll get seepage of water that will penetrate that wood and linger. That's why I recommend using a lining with a wood preservative instead of in lieu of.
If you lay plain gravel over the top of grass it's going to migrate and spread, even if you put a weed cover beneath the gravel to prevent weeds from popping up. The first step to adding gravel on top of grass is actually to remove the grass before you go any further.
Gravel is often considered the cheapest material for a driveway. It's readily available and requires minimal processing, which keeps costs low. Additionally, gravel driveways can often be installed as a DIY project, reducing expenses.
You can put your gravel directly onto the firm soil, though this isn't recommended as it won't be a stable base for your gravel driveway. If you are planning to forgo the driveway sub-base, we do suggest using a weed membrane underneath the gravel to keep it clean.