All About Railway Sleepers

Railway sleepers, originally intended for use on the railways, have become popular features of many modern gardens. Designers and landscapers find them to be useful materials for use in the garden, thanks to their durability and versatility. Traditionally, sleepers have been made from a variety of materials including wood, steel, rubber and even concrete. When we talk about sleepers in the garden, we are usually talking about those made from softwood, since they are light, easy to carry and transport and look nicer. Cleaning products and wood varnishes can slightly alter the colour, and these are essential to maintaining them properly.

Garden designers are using sleepers in all sorts of diverse ways. Their versatility, robustness, and simplicity make them the perfect building block in the garden. People have used them in all kinds of ways, from constructing walls, raised flower beds, gateposts, paving, and steps. Some people have even constructed sheds and garages. Gardeners also find them a useful way of retaining soil in areas where there is a change in level.

A key concern when using them in a garden is the maintenance and preservation of them. They are wooden items and if left in constant contact with the moist ground, will deteriorate over time. Sleepers are usually laid on a bed of gravel, which keeps them off the ground, clean, and dry. Cleaning them is relatively simple, using soapy water and detergent.

Maintenance is really important. If they are exposed to wet and windy weather conditions. Special cleaning formulas are available to keep them clean and maintain their colour. After being applied to the surface of the sleeper, they can be washed clean.

Although some people choose to use hardwood sleepers in their garden, those made from softwood are more common. They are lighter and much easier to transport than hardwood, but less robust. They’ve been used in all sorts of ways in gardens; as barbecue platforms, shelters and benches. They are a flexible and attractive alternative to using concrete for these purposes.
While reclaimed sleepers have been used in gardens, they are usually created with gardening and landscaping in mind. Creating raised flower beds and retaining soil are some of the main reasons gardeners use them, and because they can be reused in many different ways. Many people are happy to have dormant railway sleepers in their garden as they understand how useful they can be.

Many uses can be found within the garden, railway sleepers make for great feature walls when they are turned on their end, they can be used to create attractive and back saving raised beds, and finally, they can be used to create paths, providing any garden with structure and routes to follow.

Another way in which a railway sleeper can be utilised is the home. They can be used to create attractive pieces of furniture; this could include, but is not limited to; natural look coffee tables, chairs, and even beds. They provide a particular characteristic to any home and can be brought surprisingly cheaply, meaning that your project could cost you less than going out and buying it from the shops and will give you a far greater level of satisfaction.

Once these smaller projects have been carried out, it is back out into the garden where the railway sleeper can be incorporated into a tree house building exercise. We all remember long summers spent playing in tree houses so why not give your children the same pleasure and create a tree house for them. This requires strong long lengths of wood, and this is where the railway sleeper comes into its own. When used within this project they end up giving the structure its core strength and should be used to make the main frame on which the tree house will sit.

For the adventurous there are other projects that can be tackled. This could be in the form of a log cabin where the users of these sleepers are literally limitless. They can be used in the structure of the log cabin, as was the case in the tree house project, but here they can also be used to support windows and structural elements of the log cabin. They can also be used to create attractive worktops seats and door frames. There is also furniture that can be made as was the case with the home projects that we first started out with.