oak or softwood sleepers

[recipio]

I'd avoid all ex railway sleepers - they can stink of creosote in the summer. Its pointless having them around a flowerbed if you can't smell the flowers.

 

[skeetstar]

Again folks, thanks for all the input, I've passed it on.

 

[Michael7]

Hiya, my daughter is doing some landscaping work, and she is looking to get rid of an 18in high retaining wall and replace it with sleepers.
She asked me whether they should go for Oak or softwood. The softwood is 'treated' and I guess the Oak is or could be given a coat of preservative.

Her question to me ... is it worth paying £580 for the oak as opposed to £230 for the equivalent number in softwood. I'd lean towards the Oak, but then would it last twice as long as the softwood, when used as a retaining wall for soil?

If Oak is the answer, then what might be a good preservative?

Grateful for some guidance from those who know better than me,

Thanks all.

As regards to preservative I use the waste oil from oil changes to our cars (protecting any plants near the sleepers with plastic sheets). The sleepers have been in place now for 10+ years and are looking well.

 

[owen]

If she wants the look of sleepers, why not clad the existing wall with sleepers ripped down then just use a full sleeper at the top layer? No one would ever notice the difference

 

[Spectric]

What about from this mortar free solution Walling Bricks & Products for Homeowner Gardens

 

[RichardG]

I bought some new half oak sleepers (200 x 50) to make some raised beds. After 10 years they have started to fall apart, not much rot but they have cracked and then split. I should have lined the beds with some plastic sheet but assumed, wrongly, that the oak would last 15 to 20 years in contact with the ground. I didn’t use any preservation due to the veggies....I also built a raised platform out of some old railway sleepers, 250 x 125 and they are still as good as the day they went in, so whatever the preservative they use it’s very effective but horrible to cut.