Sleepers for easy garden landscaping
Garden sleepers provide quick, easy landscaping solutions to garden steps, raised beds and retaining walls. In the space of an afternoon, you can transform your outdoor space with these large lengths of external timber. Natural wood sleepers are really attractive in any style of garden and soften up the look of paved and gravelled areas. They age beautifully, too, changing in colour to a slivery grey, and last an extremely long time.
Why buy new railway sleepers?
New railway sleepers are available in durable hardwood and treated softwood. They’re in much better condition than reclaimed railway sleepers and are available in more practical sizes for garden projects. They’re not soaked in creosote either, making them a more environmentally friendly option.
Softwood or hardwood sleepers?
Hardwood sleepers are much denser than softwood sleepers and it means they last longer out in the garden. They’re great for retaining walls and structures that come into contact with damp ground. However, they weigh almost twice as much as a softwood sleeper.
Premium graded Oak Railway Sleepers are versatile, really solid sleepers from sustainable sources. Untreated, they will silver over time or they can be treated with your preferred wood stain. Great for making anything from outdoor seating to patio retaining walls.
Softwood sleepers are made from European pine or redwood. They’re lighter, and easier to handle, saw and drill. Treated, tanalised green sleepers also change colour to a soft grey over the years.
Treated Softwood Sleepers have planed straight edges and are pressure -treated against rot, fungal attack and insect damage. The treatment penetrates deep into the sleeper to extend the life of the timber and making them perfect for all kinds of garden projects from edging, raised beds, to steps and pathways.
What does a standard sleeper measure?
Width: 200 – 250mm
Depth: 100 – 125mm
Length: 1.8 – 2.4 metres
Weight: 28kg (softwood) – 50kg (hardwood)
Ideas for using garden sleepers
New railway sleepers are great alternatives to bricks or paving slabs to create structure in your garden.
- Garden edging: sleepers create instant, easily installed contemporary edging to a gravel driveway, path or patio. Used at single height, on their flat or on the edge, they keep gravel in place and protect lawn and patio edges.
- Raised beds: 2.4m sleepers are the best choice for a raised bed project, with three sleepers making a layer 2.4m x 1.2 m. Stack your sleepers up to your preferred height depending on the depth of soil you need.
- Steps and pathways: cut into shorter sections, sleepers make steps and paths that blend naturally into an informal garden. Infill with gravels and decorative chippings or stones for a softer landscaping look.
- Retaining walls: use sleepers horizontally or embed vertically in concrete to create attractive retaining walls around patios. They’re perfect for dealing with a change of level in a sloping garden, holding back earth and creating much more useable terraced areas.
Tips for working with garden sleepers
- Try to work close to the location of your project if you can. Sleepers are heavy – hardwood oak sleepers will need to be manoeuvred into position by two people.
- Use a good quality wood preservative on all cut ends to prolong the life of your sleepers.
- Check the ends of sleepers before you cut and join – they may not be square and need planing to ensure a neat fit.
- You can conceal screwheads with dowel plugs for a seamless finish.
- Sand your sleepers with a belt sander before final fixing to avoid splinters to the touch and chamfer the edges for a professional finish.
- If using treated softwood sleepers, you can still give them another coat of preservative to make them last even longer and slow down the UV weathering.
- Wood paint will let you change the colour of your sleepers – choose a fast-drying, single coat product like Ronseal Fence Paint.
- Sleepers used in paths and steps can get slippery – consider notching to add grip.
What else will I need for working with garden sleepers?
Fixing plates, brackets and straps: heavy duty angles and brackets will fix your sleepers at 90 degrees and keep them in place.
Extra-long galvanised wood screws: Exterior timber decking screws are ideal for attaching brackets – and if you’re using hardwood garden sleepers, they need to be stainless steel screws to resist the high level of tannin in the wood.
Dowel: use for plugs to hide screwheads or in larger diameters as a more traditional method of fixing two sleepers together
Recommended tools for working with sleepers
Circular Saw: sleepers are substantial pieces of external timber and cutting them accurately and precisely needs a power tool. You could use a hand saw with a softwood sleeper, but oak hardwood sleepers definitely need a power saw. Start with a suitable, new blade and be prepared to cut through in stages, depending on the size of your blade.
Combi drill and drill bit set: Attach brackets to sleepers using a multipurpose drill bit
Planer and belt sander: planing the cut ends of your sleepers to get a good, square fit will help your sleeper structure look so much more professional. Whether you sand your sleepers depends on its use, of course – but essential for garden furniture and raised beds.
Protective clothing: Make sure you use gloves, mask and safety footwear when working with heavy external timbers.
Other materials you might need
Landscaping fabric: use as a raised bed liner and as protective membrane against moisture if laid on the ground.
Hardcore: a layer of hardcore will improve drainage underneath a garden structure made of sleepers – remember damp is the enemy of all external timber, treated or hardwood.
Decorative aggregates and gravels: Infill around sleepers with decorative aggregates or gravel – these two make an ideal landscaping partnership. Paths, terraces, steps – combining sleepers and gravel is a quick and easy way to create get the job done. Slate chippings are a great way to top off a planter made from garden sleepers – and you’ll enjoy a long-lasting, attractive feature for many years.
Browse more ideas for garden landscaping, including useful tips about the best landscaping materials to buy from the Turnbull team.