The best thing you can do with sleepers is surround them with gravel, dont let them touch soil. Lay them on pea gravel and then back fill behind with gravel. Wood rots when water and air combine so if they can dry out after rain as fast as possible then theyll last alot longer. Obviously a wood preserver too.
Haunch at the back end of the sleeper and if possible, the front end too. This will help fix sleepers to the ground so they remain stable. If using sleepers for a low border or planter it may well be enough to fix a wooden post or spike behind the sleepers and fix this into the ground.
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.
Clear Wood Oil or Decking Oil: These products are ideal for those who want their sleepers to age naturally to a grey or silver colour while still being protected from the elements. A clear oil will nourish the wood, making it supple and water-resistant, which helps protect it from water and frost damage.
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.
Softwood that is left untreated will still last around two to five years, which is why all of our softwood sleepers have been treated for longevity. We also supply hardwood sleepers, with oak sleepers ranging from 15 to 20 years and European oak sleepers lasting for 20 years.
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.
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.
Treatment - the green tint is a result of deep-pressure treatment that enhances the wood's resistance to rot, fungi, and insect infestation. This treatment typically penetrates the wood more thoroughly than the surface-level treatments used for brown sleepers.
Seal the Ends
The ends of railway sleepers are particularly prone to rot, as they soak up water easily. Applying a good quality wood preservative or sealant to the ends can slow down the absorption of moisture and help prevent rot from setting in.
The best way to secure sleepers is with appropriate timber screw. The type of wood you choose to work with will dictate the type of fixing that needs to be used. Softwoods can be fixed with a choice of steel or zinc screws.
Although raised beds are usually constructed on free-draining soil, we recommend lining the bottom of your bed with a generous drainage layer of hardcore, stones or coarse gravel.
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.
Softwood posts in the ground that are not treated may only last up to 6 months! Using treated posts will ensure longevity. Some fence builders will wrap the base of the post in sheet copper or galvanized steel to prolong the wood's life even further, but the consensus is that treated posts will do the trick.
Railway Sleeper Retaining Walls, Terraces & Steps
With these kinds of projects, you're definitely going to be needing to use concrete, because once they're in place they're going to be taking a great deal more strain and undergoing much heavier usage than the planters and edging.
You can either opt for concrete, sand or gravel foundations or lay the sleepers on the soil with no official foundation. For the latter option, make sure you put down a waterproof sheet under the sleepers to avoid them soaking up moisture from the soil.
Sleeper Tape® is a quick and efficient way to protect and guard your timber sleepers from moisture rot, oxygen decay and fungi deterioration. WHAT Is Sleeper Tape® ? Sleeper Tape® is a self-sealing tape which gives a completely waterproof and weatherproof seal.
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. This will help to repel water and prevent water ingress, the main cause of wood rot.
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.
Each of these sleepers needs to be treated as if it's a fence post and concrete separately into a hole at least 1/3 of the total heigh of the sleeper being installed, i.e. 1500mm sleeper would need to be buried 500mm into the ground.
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.
Exterior wood oils are a great option as they retain the natural appearance of the sleeper, will help to seal in any wood preserver used on them, and offer a good level of protection against weathering and water damage. Wood oils are also easy to maintain by simply applying a fresh coat of oil as and when required.
Hardwood Garden Sleepers
Over time, especially in contact with soil and moisture, hardwood sleepers will also break down. They may last longer than softwoods, with a lifespan of 10-15 years if properly treated, but they are also more expensive.
If properly treated and installed, pine fence posts can last for 20–35 years; untreated pine posts might only last 3–7 years. chemical in the posts. When large numbers of fence posts need to be installed it is probably most practical to pound them into the ground with a hydraulic post driver, small end first.