We are closed on Easter Sunday and Easter Monday and back open at 7:30am on Tuesday 2nd April

Happy Easter from the team at Greengates Builders Merchant

10 Creative Ways to use... Railway Sleepers!

The wooden slats that support railway tracks are referred to as 'sleepers' and you might think that they aren't really much use for any other purpose. Wrong! In fact, railway sleepers can be used in an infinite variety of ways in the garden, allowing you to create all sorts of unique, practical and aesthetically-pleasing features. Here are ideas to inspire you...

  1. Create raised beds and fill them with soil in which you can plant anything you like
  2. While you're at it, why not create a raised pond too? A strongly-built container made from railway sleepers will easily accommodate a pond liner
  3. Unimpressed by traditional flags, paving or gravel? Use railway sleepers as an excellent alternative
  4. Create different zones in your garden, once again using sleepers to define and shape the space
  5. Installed vertically, sleepers can provide a pillar on which anything can be placed. Bird bath? Outdoor sculpture? The choice is all yours
  6. If you've got the skill, the ambition and the necessary tools, you could get carving and create unique decorative objects. Totem pole, anyone?
  7. Create a cosy, semi-subterranean seating and leisure area by lining a pre-dug pit with railway sleepers. You can even use the sleepers to create the benches and chairs themselves!
  8. Use as bollards to protect grass verges or other areas
  9. If you have a steeply-sloped garden, timber sleepers can be used to fashion terraces that will add more practical usage value to the area
  10. Sick of sights that spoil the look of your garden, such as water butts, compost heaps and the like? A quick arrangement of railway sleepers will form a disguising wall

Greengate's, your local builders merchant, can quickly supply as many high-quality railway sleepers as you need to make your dream a reality. Our sleepers come pre-treated and so are ready-to-use as soon as they arrive: long-lasting protection of the timber is guaranteed. In addition to the sleepers themselves, we can also readily supply any required ancillary products, such as nails, screws, adhesives, woodstains, tools and protective clothing.

You'll find our railway sleepers in the 'Landscaping Products' section of our website. We'd love to see pictures of your creations too so please send them to us and we will share them in our newsletter!

Posted in Product News on