To set your sleepers in concrete, simply fill a layer of concrete mix into your shallow trench and set your beams in place once it's semi-dry. Don't forget to account for the layer of concrete or gravel when measuring how high you want your sleepers to sit.
You can either opt for concrete, sand or gravel foundations or lay the sleepers on the soil with no official foundation.
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.
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.
Clear the area of all unwanted vegetation and material and then dig a shallow, level trench to allow for bedding material. Usually you would allow 3-4 courses in height and start by bedding the first sleeper onto a semi-dry concrete mix laid in your trench.
If you plan on placing your railway sleeper onto a solid surface such as a patio or concrete, they can be put directly on top, but if you're going to place them on soil, they need to be slightly sunken into the ground.
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.
Repair any holes, gaps or uneven surfaces with a suitable exterior wood filler and treat all sound, good wood with an exterior wood preservative.
Softwood sleepers may last less than 5 years if they are not treated. Softwood sleepers come from pine and it is known that they are less resistant to decay. They need to be treated and maintained and then you can expect them to last for up to 20 years. Hardwood sleepers have been known to last up to 100 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.
Now you have your raised bed, you can fill it with the soil of your choice and start planting. You may want to add bricks or stones at the bottom before the soil to increase drainage. Our timber sleepers are made from a specific class of timber for use in ground and water contact, so lining the beds is not essential.
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.
You might want to put a layer of concrete, sand or aggregate in first, but this isn't always strictly necessary. Continue around in the same way until you've got the bottom layer in place. At this point, it's worth using a spirit level to make sure all your railway sleepers are lying flat.
Wood Preserver
However, to help nourish and protect the timber from decay it is a good idea to apply a wood preservative. Wood preservative treatments provide garden sleepers with protective properties that help prevent rot, mould and fungal growth, as well as help to form a defence against the elements.
Cut your sleepers to your required length, which could be random for a rustic look. Then mix up some lean mortar, such as 6:1, to be used as a concrete base and haunching. Place at least a 50mm bed of concrete in the bottom of the trench and start inserting the sleepers, haunching them up as you go.
Retaining walls and raised beds are just two ways that these unique timber pieces allow you to enhance your garden projects. But the question is – can you lay railway sleepers on soil? The answer is – Yes you can.
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.
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) New or reproduction railway sleepers can be easily protected from the elements by sealing them with a wood oil, wood stain, exterior grade varnish, or garden paint.
There are many ways to cut sleepers, but we recommend using a circular saw for accuracy, precision and speed.
Splits and cracks (known as wood checks in the industry) occur when wood shrinks as it dries. Wood shrinks roughly twice as much along with the growth rings (radially) as it does across the rings (tangentially). It is this uneven shrinkage that causes checks to develop.
If sleepers are fragmented or display signs of surface harm, gently sand those areas to yield a smooth finish. Contemplate applying a stain or varnish designed for outdoor use on softwood or hardwood railway sleepers, based on your sleepers' material.
Teak oil is generally considered the best oil to treat wooden garden furniture. It provides year-round weather protection whilst emphasising the wood's natural colour. It does this by replacing the natural oils that are lost through weathering, and preventing the wood from splitting and warping.
If you're stacking your sleepers on top of or next to each other, use steel rod pins or timberlok screws (sometimes called sleeper screws) to secure them into place. You can also use these to fix corners, by fixing the rod through the edge of one beam and into the other's end.