Sleepers
What are "sleepers"?
"Sleepers", "Garden Sleepers", or "Railway Sleepers" are large, rectangular pieces of timber (usually sawn), and were traditionally used to lay railway tracks on top of them (hence, the "railway" reference). However, they're now used more typically in a variety of landscaping and gardening projects (both domestic and commercial), and actual railway sleepers are now made of a number of other materials (as well as timber), such as cast concrete, steel, and even plastic composite materials.
What can timber sleepers be used for?
Timber sleepers can be useed for a multitude of applications, such as:
- creating raised beds & planters (for decorative plants and vegetable gardening)
- edging for lawns, borders, and ponds
- making outdoor steps and stairways
- garden pathways
- retaining walls (to hold back soil) and create terraces
- bordering children's sand pits & play areas
- outdoor seating
What sizes of timber sleepers does Lanlee offer?
Lanlee has several different timber sleepers, either green or brown treated, in different sizes:
What are Lanlee's timber sleepers made of?
All of Lanlee's sleepers are made of new, sawn softwood timber, and sourced from FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified companies. Lanlee is FSC certified: Licence FSC-C109654; Certificate Code: INT-COC-003944 - To verify, CLICK HERE
How long will Lanlee's timber sleepers last?
All of Lanlee's sleepers are tanalised (pressure treated) to help ensure a long life, free of rot. There's a 15-year guarantee on all UC4 (Use Class 4) "Good Wood" ground-contact timber products (treated to BS8417 standards). However, softwood treated sleepers can last up to 30 years, if they're well maintained.
There are 3 main factors in determinig the actual longevity of any sleeper:
The Wood: Timber sleepers are a mass-sourced, mass-produced product, made from mixed tree species, and the various types of timber perform differently.
The Treatment: Conditions in the treatment stage will impact the longevity of a sleeper, such as the moisture content of the wood at the time of treatment, and the effectiveness of the treatment itself (how well and how deeply it's been absorbed or impreganted into the wood).
The Environment: In the end, how long a wooden sleeper lasts will also depend, to a great extent, on how it's maintained, and the general environmental conditions (sunlight, rain, temperature, humidity, etc) that it's subjected to on a regular/ongoing basis.
Are new timber sleepers better than reclaimed railway sleepers?
One of the major benefits of new timber sleepers, versus actual reclaimed railway sleepers, is that the new timber sleepers are far easier to cut. New sleepers are also regular in shape and size, and have clean edges. Whereas, reclaimed railway sleepers are often ver rough and damaged, can impregnated with creosote (which can be toxic to plants and animals), and can be unpleasant to handle, and sometimes more difficult to install.
New sleepers will give a new, clean, crisp look, if that's what you're after. However, if you want a more rustic, worn look, it's relatively easy to roughen and "weather" the new sleepers to simulate the look of a reclaimed railway sleeper.
Will you need to apply your own treatments, preservatives, or stains?
You don’t have to apply any treatments, preservatives, or stains to our timber sleepers. However, some people choose to do so, primarily for cosmetic purposes, such as if they want to have them be a particular colour, and to maintain the colour over the years. Left untreated/unstained, most timber sleepers will naturally fade to a grey colour, because of long-term exposure to the weather and the sun's UV rays, which age the wood, causing the grey hue.
If you do want to stain or treat your sleepers, Lanlee off a range of products CLICK HERE
How do you join timber sleepers together?
To avoid rust stains on the wood, or corrosion of fasteners from the wood treatments, it's crucial to use special, purpose-made hardware to join your timber sleepers together.
Lanlee offer long "ForgeFix" timber fixing screws, which have a green treated finish that offers excellent corrosion resistance. You need to use screws that are long enough to pierce deeply into both of the timber sleepers that you want to fasten together. And, to avoid splitting the wood, remember to pre-drill holes (slightly narrower than the diameter of the screws) through each before inserting the screws.
Lanlee have "ForgeFix" timber fixing screws in 150mm, 200mm, and 250mm lengths (and shorter lengths), which are perfect for use with our timber sleepers.
150mm - CLICK HERE
200mm - CLICK HERE
250mm - CLICK HERE
Features of ForgeFix Timber Fixing Screws:
- Supplied with a magnetic nut setter
- The 1,000 hour green treated finish offers excellent corrosion resistance to ACQ (Alkaline Copper Quaternary)-treated timber that's used in construction and decking applications
- The hex flange head acts as a fixed washer, distributing the load under the bolt head
- The hex head offers optimum torque when used with spanners or sockets
- Single thread screws are designed to offer higher pull-out values and quicker insertion
- Ideal for use in timber and decking construction
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