Garden Railway Sleepers

Are these the same as garden sleepers?

Garden sleepers (also known as railway sleepers, wooden sleepers, or timber sleepers) are essentially large rectangular timber pieces. They are sawn into required lengths and used in numerous ways in gardening and landscaping.

The term “railway sleepers” arose as historically wooden sleepers treated with creosote (for long-term use) were laid on railway tracks. Infact, as these are being phased out with metal, plastic, and concrete alternatives a significant market has developed for recycling railway sleepers.

Are your wooden sleepers reclaimed?

No, our wooden sleepers are all new and manufactured by Forest Garden with top-quality, pressure treated FSC®-certified timber.

We would not re-sell railway originating garden sleepers as they are toxic. They have been treated with creosote and as such is harmful to the skin, particularly with frequent contact. Our wooden sleepers are totally safe for everyone, especially children and pets that are most likely to come into contact with them.

Aesthetically our garden sleepers for sale are also more pleasing. They are perfectly cut into either 3’, 4’ or 6’ uniform lengths (original railway sleepers vary in length considerably). Our new sleepers are smooth, have no creosote stain and also have no damage from decades of use on the railways.

What are the main uses of timber sleepers?

There are many uses of garden sleepers, we summarise some of the main uses below:

• Compost bins – with carpentry skills, railway sleepers can be used to create an effective compost bin
• Garden edging – sleepers are a natural cost-effective form of garden edging including for flower beds, lawns, and patios
• Fencing – although we would always recommend our fencing panels, we know of people that have used sleepers as an alternative fencing material
• Garden furniture – garden railway sleepers could with carpentry skills be made into stylish and unusual garden furniture, such as benches and tables
• Garden pathways – sleepers placed in a path interspersed with pebbles or gravel make a unique garden pathway
• Garden steps – use timber sleepers as stylish garden steps, they are a great alternative to stone and concrete steps
• Planters – assembled correctly garden sleepers are perfect for use as garden planters
• Pond surround – once secured and lined, wooden sleepers make an ideal pond surround
• Raised beds – a natural use of garden sleepers is for the creation of raised beds, for the secure growing of plants, vegetables, and flowers, etc., and
• Retaining walls – use sleepers for retaining walls in garden landscaping

What are the advantages of railway sleepers?

There are many advantages of wooden sleepers, we summarise just some of them below:

• Anti-rot guarantee – all our garden railway sleepers are pressure treated and have a 15-year guarantee within the price. Potentially, they will last for decades, particularly with occasional preservative treatment
• Cut to shape – although we supply in 3’, 4’, and 6’ sizes, timber sleepers can easily be sawn by homeowners into the exact size required
• Eco-friendly:
  • An alternative to plastic - a great alternative to plastic sleepers and plastic-related products
  • Recycling railway sleepers – although we do not sell ex-railway sleepers, it is good for the environment that many are reused in gardens
• Lay directly on soil - railway sleepers can be laid directly on soil and do not require high-cost foundations
• The versatility of use – as can be seen from our “main uses” section, timber sleepers have a large variety of uses

Related articles

We also recommend reading the following articles which relate to garden sleepers:

1. How to Choose and Install Border Edging and
2. A Guide to Raised Beds and Garden Planters

Get support from Shedstore

Do you have any questions about any aspect of our garden sleepers for sale? Our experts are on hand to discuss prices, technical information, and delivery timescales. There is no need to source from “garden sleepers near me” suppliers, we provide everything online at cost-effective prices.

Please contact us at Shedstore through the following methods:

• Telephone Shedstore - 0333 003 0518
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