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#1
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Using sleepers as steps?
I would use woordstone sleepers - the kind that Marshalls make -
www.marshalls.co.uk/gardens The look just like railway sleepers but don't give you splinters ! as well as not going slimey in winter. Hope it helps Chris "Chris" wrote in message ... Hi, I have a fairly shallow grassy slope in the garden that I would like to turn into steps using railway sleepers. Can I just dig out a flat platform and plonk the sleepers on to the earth or do they need to be pegged or bedded in somehow? Any and all advice gratefully accepted. Chris www.MagnoTherapyUK.com Independent Distributor - Ecoflow Ltd Drug free pain relief for humans, horses and hounds or your money back! Remove 'underscore' and add an underscore to reply |
#2
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Using sleepers as steps?
(Chris) wrote:
Hello Chris C I have a fairly shallow grassy slope in the garden that I C would like to turn into steps using railway sleepers. C Can I just dig out a flat platform and plonk the sleepers on C to the earth or do they need to be pegged or bedded in C somehow? Sometimes, yes. But if used a lot they might drop - and you might need rammed hardcore or even concrete bases - but that's in extreme cases (commercial traffic). If you can bury the ends it helps a lot too. That said, are you sure sleepers are the best thing? They get slippery when wet, and if in shady areas can get positively lethal. Also, many sleepers weep oil when warm (softwoods especially), and if it's near the house you'll soon be tramping black footprints on your carpets. -- Simon Avery, Dartmoor, UK Ý http://www.digdilem.org/ |
#3
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Using sleepers as steps?
That said, are you sure sleepers are the best thing?
They get slippery when wet, and if in shady areas can get positively lethal. Also, many sleepers weep oil when warm (softwoods especially), and if it's near the house you'll soon be tramping black footprints on your carpets. "Chris" wrote Hmmmmm, I hadn't considered any of that. Time for a rethink. Many thanks. Chris You can wrap chicken wire around the sleepers to make them safe. Not elegant but it does work. I treid yacht anti-slip once but that was not a huge success. You need to rough up the surface in some way as they are an accident waiting to happen in the damp British climate - I know, I had some in a shady garden once...........:~(( Jenny (top posting corrected) |
#4
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Using sleepers as steps?
Chris,
Dunno whether you're still deciding (if not this might help someone else) but I've just built a patio out of these things and I can quite confidently say, you really don't have to think about screwing them down - they won't move! Having said that, if your steps aren't going to be the full 8.5 feet of sleepers then you may have to stake them or put some sort of concrete foundation. You might also want to get some weed-proof cloth. I can't remember the name but we put this underneath the wood to discourage weed growth in the cracks. Another hint: invite some friends over to lift the sleepers. We had 20 to lift up a sloping garden and it took us hours and knackered our wheelbarrow - these things are heavy!!! We got our sleepers from www.railway-sleepers.com/. A very nice chap called Richard delivered them at short notice and exactly when he said he would! Great service (and no I'm not connected with him in any way etc etc). Good luck, Ben |
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