Hardwood sleepers (like oak) are naturally dense and highly resistant to rot, meaning they do not require chemical treatment to survive outdoors. They can last 10–20 years or more in the ground completely untreated.
Hardwood sleepers are heavy and can last up to 150 years without treatment, while softwood sleepers are lighter, easier to cut, and need regular wood preserver to protect against rot.
Annual Treatment: Treat your sleepers with wood oil or decking oil at least twice a year, ideally in Spring and Autumn. This will help repel water and prevent water ingress, the main cause of wood rot.
Tips to Stop Sleepers from Rotting
Dense, tight grained, untreated hardwood railway sleepers, are completely different to light, softwood railway sleepers which have to be treated with either creosote or pressure treatment to prevent them rotting and collapsing.
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.
Apply Preservatives: Use modern wood treatments, creosote substitutes, or bitumen-based paints to coat your sleepers. These create a barrier that repels water and deters insects and fungi. Reduce Soil Contact: Where sleepers must be placed in or near soil, line them with heavy-duty plastic sheeting.
The Hidden Problem With Wood Sleepers
Constant exposure to rain, humidity, UV radiation, and snow can break down these supports, leading to swelling, softening, and rot. And as wood expands and contracts, it warps and shifts the equipment resting on it.
Garden sleepers commonly use softwoods like pine due to their availability and affordability. However, untreated softwoods are more prone to rot. To resist decay, pressure-treat softwood sleepers with preservatives, but even then, environmental factors may limit their lifespan to 5–10 years.
When we use sleepers for outdoor use, the most important feature we look for is the sleepers resistant to decay. Hardwood sleepers are much more resistant to softwood sleepers, this is because oak is generally high resistant to any decay and without being treated it can last you up to 30 – 40 years.
Hardwood flooring offers numerous advantages, including its timeless beauty, durability, and versatility. However, it also comes with certain drawbacks, such as its cost, sensitivity to moisture, and susceptibility to scratches and dents.
Repair any holes, gaps or uneven surfaces with a suitable exterior wood filler and treat all sound, good wood with an exterior wood preservative. To preserve the sleepers further, we would recommend treating them with an exterior wood oil or decking oil, ideally twice a year in Spring and Autumn.
You might wish to use old railway sleepers in your garden. Worried about the toxicity of the creosote, to animals and plants, and the famous smell it gives. Sealing creosote treated timber effectively allows you to use those old timbers without worry or smell.
While the chemicals in pressure treated lumber prevent rot and ward off insects, they don't prevent moisture from seeping into the wood. On a deck that's going to be directly exposed to rain, water can seep into the boards and cause them to swell. As they dry in the sun, they'll shrink.
Historically, Jarrah and Oak woods have been used. In untreated form, Greenheart, Mora, Karri, and Azobe woods are also commonplace, and they can last for up to a hundred years. Density and elasticity are among the strongest points of wooden railway sleepers. They are also the most lightweight option.
You should replace the timber with pre-treated timber. All remaining sound timber new and old should then be liberally treated with a dual-purpose dry rot treatment fluid. These specially formulated fungicides will kill dry rot and stop re-infestations, preventing any further outbreaks of the fungus.
Around the time of the first frost, and after beds have been cleaned up for winter, is the time to add cardboard, tarps, or thermal coverings to protect soil and raised bed materials like wood or plastics.
To help the wood hardener penetrate deeper, drill small holes into the rotten area. It's worth drilling holes in the area that's slightly beyond the rotten wood to ensure the rot doesn't spread. Once you've removed the crumbling wood, use a wet rot wood hardener and apply it to the wood with a paintbrush.
A stiff brush gets into the wood's grooves, clearing out dust and small particles. Pressure washer - Ideal for blasting away years of grime, algae, and fungus. A jet wash can rejuvenate old timber sleepers quickly. Sandpaper or an electric sander - Perfect for smoothing rough spots and edges.
Jarrah Sleepers are normally unsuitable, as most of them are either old railway sleepers or have come from structures such as bridges and sheds and so may have been treated with substances that can leach into the soil, such as creosote, oil and diesel.
Due to the shortcomings of wooden sleepers, it was unable to adapt to the needs of high-speed, heavy-duty, passenger-only, and subway lines, and concrete sleepers emerged.
While it's an option to lay sleepers straight on top of soil, digging a shallow trench to keep them in place is important. Laying sleepers directly on the ground gives way to rising moisture. This can cause further damage if water can't drain from under the wood, causing sleepers to warp or rot.
Luxury Vinyl
As the word “luxury” implies, luxury vinyl is comfortable underfoot, more so than real hardwood. Luxury vinyl is considerably more stable than hardwood, depending on the thickness you choose, and it is certainly more affordable. Luxury vinyl is scratch- and dent-resistant, unlike hardwood.
1. Teak Wood. Often called the "king of woods," Teak is a premium hardwood renowned for its unmatched durability and weather-resistant properties. Golden–brown, straight smooth grain, ages well.
The surface of wood can be degraded if the wood repeatedly becomes wet and dry, is exposed to high and low temperatures and is exposed to direct sunlight. This degradation causes roughening of the surface, checking, splitting and wood cell erosion.