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LATEST
ARRIVALS
New
Latvian Birch
New ACQ light brown treated Latvian Birch railway sleepers
2.6m x 225mm x 125mm
@ £22 + Vat. A light to handle, easy to cut hardwood.
Used African Azobe
sleepers
Grade 1, untreated hardwood approx:2.6m x 250mm x 150mm
@ £22 + Vat. Quite excellent condition, with so many uses
S.African Karri sleepers
new untreated FSC approved hardwood sleepers.
2.6m x 250 x 130 @ £30 + vat
Every week we are getting more and more photos of your projects. KEEP THEM COMING ! We are creating a fantastic resource for gardeners and landscapers. Thousands of people are now pouring over these projects, on a weekly basis, to gain ideas and inspiration. Thankyou for sharing them.
and keep them coming
CUSTOMER PHOTOS & PROJECTS
CREOSOTE AND SLEEPERS
There have been lots of news items and enquiries recently about the issue
of creosote and railway sleepers. Were they banned ? Were they dangerous ?
Could we still sell them ? What were the restrictions all about ?
We cover most of the issues and history in our section 'Railway
sleeper treatments', however here are a couple of the letters we've
received:
Dear Kilgraney
Could you help me. I am told that it is illegal to use sleepers in the garden (because of Europe.. so I am minded not to comply) but I need 10 to terrace my garden.
Adrian Andrew
K. Fear not, the knock on the door by the special branch is unlikely to follow your use of creosoted railway sleepers in the garden ! They haven't been banned, only restricted - 1) you can't eat off them 2) you can't use them for children's play areas (or areas of frequent skin contact) 3) You can't use them inside a house. So, you should have no problem using them as a terrace.
Dear Kilgraney,
We are are a small furniture design studio in Israel. We use old railway sleepers to build some of our home and garden furniture. Some sleepers are used whole and some are cut in different ways. Lately we heard about the dangerous CREOSOTE used as pesticides. We are both exposed to saw and sanding dust in the workplace and are concerned about the possible hazard to our customers. We saw your web site and are hopeful that you can advice us on some matters What procations are you taking while handeling, cuting and sanding the sleepers? Do you know if coating the wood with varnish makes it safe to be used as a furniture? Dose the strong odor coming from some sleepers indicates the level of toxicity? Is using dust musk while cutting and sanding the Is it O.K. to put these furniture in the house or only outdoors? We have no access to reliable information in Israel and will be very happy if you can help us. You are also welcome to visit our site www.nimrodeilam.co.il (the railway sleepers furniture are presented only in the Hebrew part) Thank you for taking the time to read our mail
Yours Sincerely Harel Nadav
K. Thankyou for your e-mail, and quite excellent pictures. We will put them on our website, as examples of your studio's work. We have visited your great site and find your design and creativity very impressive. Both simple and stylish.
It's hard to answer accurately your questions. Firstly because we are not doctors or scientists, and secondly because there is not much written about the effects of creosote. So please don't take our opinions as hard evidence !
1) Creosote has been happily used for hundreds of years. It is only in the last three months in Europe, that there has been restrictions on the use of sleepers that have been creosote treated. (see our article on 'Sleeper treatments')
2) The European restrictions say that creosoted sleepers should not be used where there may be 'frequent skin contact', risk of 'food contamination', or 'inside houses'. However they can still be used for many landscaping, construction etc.. purposes.
3) In terms of ourselves, we use gloves when handling sleepers, and are wary of inhalation of sawdust whilst cutting, as one would be with any type of timber. We only cut them outside. We don't sand them, although customers do do this, as well as sand blasting them, and pressure washing them. I don't know whether the stronger the smell indicates that a sleeper is more 'dangerous'. However, it is true that older sleepers tend to smell less, as though the creosote has weakened or evaporated.
4) Should you use creosoted sleepers as furniture ? Fortunately, or unfortunately the decision has already made for us by the European Parliament. We're not allowed to use creosoted railway sleepers as furniture. However, we have in the past quite happily used them inside houses. The issue then was merely whether there was surface tar, oil or creosote to make it impractical or unpleasant to use as a seat (for example), or whether the smell was too nasty to have inside. The conclusion is that you can make furniture out of used railway sleepers that are untreated (e.g. Jarra, Azobe, Oak etc..) or treated in an un-creosoted way (e.g. salt-treated russian bulkheads, or tannalised pine) or use new untreated sleepers.
5) I don't know whether varnishing the surface of the sleeper would 'seal' the creosote inside. I doubt it.
Hello, I have seen many purveyors of furniture made from railway sleepers, specifically coffee tables. I'd very much like to own one, but am a little reluctant to pay the sometimes astronomical prices asked for such items. I therefore had the idea that i wuold buy my own sleepers (from a reclamation yard) and create my own furniture. I then read on your site that the original treatment of such timbers make most of the old oak sleepers unsuitable for such a use. Can you advise me if there are any sleepers that may be suitable for my requirements? Do I need to do something with the timbers that make them suitable for indoor use and is this why furniture companies charge so much for their stock? thanks in advance Marc
K. It's a big rip-off world out there... so what's new ! There's lots of sleepers, new and old, that might be suitable. New is more straightforward because they are straighter, and not treated with anything nasty - so, Baltic Pine, French oak or African Azobe. Used would mean Russian Bulkheads (salt treated), or Jarra (untreated) or some untreated unused seasoned reject dutch oak. Best thing is to come and chose and take them away with you.
Hello First of all I have to say what a fantastic website you have and how much I enjoyed browsing it, and so easy to use also. I didn't realise that there were that many different sleepers available - my local timber yards had one variety of the reclaimed stuff and only two choices of the new sleepers (brown or green..hhmm??) so I was very glad to stumble upon your website.
Anita Mistry
K. Thanks
K. Thanks for your e-mail A hard question to answer because it depends on the look you are wanting. From a practical construction point of view, handling, cutting and staining, it is easier to use new sleepers - either French oak, Baltic pine,S.African Karri or African Azobe. They tend to be straighter, and don't have tar or creosote weeping out of them in the summer. They will age and 'character' over the coming years, and last for decades. If you plump for used sleepers, you get bags of character and weathering, but likewise you may have a tar problem if the sleepers were originally creosoted. Likewise the surface of the deck will be more uneven and aged (which after all is one of the reasons for using them instead of conventional decking !)
Dear K, What an enjoyable
site! It took me a wee while to transition from suspicion - this site has
to be a spoof - through incredulity - it appears to be legit - to having a
ball reading around what you have. I can barely believe you can make a site
about railway sleepers, for crying out loud - no offence - so lively! Anyway,
enough superlatives..
Sally Cummings
K:
Thanks!
K
says: Whew! Thank goodness we got away with it.
A reader replies... Dear K, I don't think
you should buy them because it ain't that ecological to transport them all
that way here. They can be used locally for something that helps the local
area!
PS. We like your site ! ...
Beverley Chipp
K:
Thanks for your thoughts. I guess that ecologically applies
to all used sleeper imports irrespective of regime, and maybe, in fact, all
imports, full stop. Not to mention that often half the price of an imported
sleeper is the haulage cost (lorry, diesel, driver) and associated polution.
However, is there ever a situation where political and economic benefits outweigh
ecological arguments, e.g. in the case of importing fairtrade goods such as
tea and coffee ?
K
says: There's no such thing as a free sleeper.. !
Here !!
Dear K, Just wanted to say hi, found your
website to have great humour and very professional to boot (think you could
show many pro-designers a thing or too). Great attitude and brilliant ethos
... hope to see you soon! Regards
Rad
K.Printing such feedback is somewhat endulgent,
we know, but what the heck !
K says: Incidently, what does 'heck' mean ?
Dear K. Just thought I would send you
an email to show you what I did with the Azobe sleepers I bought in Jan. The
wood worked very well, though the final table did weigh in at 120kg! My
next project.... making a bed. Best regards,
Matt Parkes.
K. A great design.
Thanks for sending the photo
K says: ... Untill you've got to move !
SEE Matt's
Azobe coffee table
Hi Jerry, thanks for your response.
we have now been told elsewhere that CCA treated poles should not be used
for play equipment, what is your advise? Best Regards
Glenn Mount DeputyDC, Gravesham
Scouts UK
K.
CCA treated poles are still used by
many councils and landscapers. Others are now insisting on an even more
friendly alternative pressure treatment, such as 'Tanalith E'. Our current
poles are mainly treated this way, and will be completely so in the next
year.
Dear K, I'm wondering if you can help us.
we've just had our garden landscaped and have 2 large flights of steps made
from old railway sleepers which have already started leaking tar in the recent
warm weather - no one warned us that this would happen. the contractor has
merely told us to throw sand over the tar but this doesn't stop it getting
on your shoes etc. is there a product that will seal them or do you have any
tips which you would be willing to share with us? many thanks,
Sue Thomas
K.Sorry to hear your news - the last thing you want in your new landscaped
garden. There's no magical solution I'm afraid. Softwood sleepers (Pine) treated
with tar and creosote, will invariably leak in hot weather. We've stopped
selling them in the last few years fo that very reason. Hardwood treated sleepers
tend to be much better, if not perfect in hot weather. There are also sleepers
that are untreated, or treated with different solutions that have no tar or
creosote base, and are fine. ... all of which is absolutely no comfort to
you at all. My advice is to (a) grin and bear it (b) replace them with similar
size and profile sleepers, but in a nicer tar-free version (c) I can't think
of any others. As a gesture, we will supply the right size to you, as economically
as possible.
K says: invite the well heeled contractor
to sit on your steps for a quiet sticky chat. ....CLICK
ON Railway Sleeper Treatments for more details
Dear K, I see from your WEB site that you
sell Azobe railway sleepers. I am a member of the International Woodcollectors
Society and, as you may guess, collect wood! I've been keen to add Azobe to
my collection for some time. This is probably a long shot (I appreciate it
would be a tiny order) but is there any chance you'd be able to supply me
with an off-cut, say 8" long? It doesn't have to be perfect, just sound. If
you could supply this, a note of the cost including postage to Southeast Scotland,
would be very much appreciated. I only wish I lived nearer and could visit!
K. Happy to oblige
K.says: Amazing what people
do with their spare time !
Dear K, We are thrilled with the sleepers
you delivered last Friday. The delivery driver was incredibly prompt (you
said approx 10am and he arrived 10.01). He managed to unload 10 sleepers on
his own and stacked them really neatly in our side access alleyway. As we
live on a fairly busy main road I was nervous about leaving £300 of sleepers
on display so my husband and I carried them round the back that evening -
how heavy? We spent most of Saturday digging them in and by Sunday afternoon
had completed planting the new raised beds. They whole effect is great and
we have told all our friends about your website. The only snag is that my
husband overestimated the number we would need and we have 2 left over! Any
ideas for garden sculptures ...? Caroline Glover
K. Well done, and thanks for the kind feedback.
It's amazing what you can achieve with sleepers in a short period of time.
Send us a picture.
K says: .. and spread the word
I Thought I would drop you a quick line,
I found you web site after searching for railway sleepers on MSN Search I
must say how impressed I am with it , very, very informative. with a little
bit of fun , sound advise etc etc EXCELLENT !! I’ll contact you when I’m in
the market. All the best Umesh
K. We know
it's gratuituous back-slapping, but we like it sometimes !
K says: .. and why not ? The British are so reticent
about success.
K. You can't. Well, not satisfactorily. That's why we advise non-tar treated sleepers* For spots on clothes and children you can buy a tar dissolving solution.
K. says: Replace them !
*CLICK ON Railway Sleeper Treatments for more details
Dear
K, After delivering 23 sleepers to us at Easter, it took us 10 days, start
to finish, with the help of 2 or 3 'good friends', who strangely enough we
don't seem to have seen much of since then - I think they said something about
'chiropractors' and 'back strain'. It looks absolutely brill - just like the
artwork. Since then we've done loads of bopping about at 2 in the morning
on the sleepers, and everyone who sees it says how effective, wonderfully
timesaving and thoroughly enjoyable it is. We've had no trouble whatsoever
with leaking tar, & the cats think the sleepers are excellent for avoiding
the gravel !! All in all, a fantastic success, and when I get a minute from
eating and drinking outdoors I will send a photo. Thanks again for just being
there, on the 'net' with your sleepers.
K. Great feedback. A credit to your hard work. Please send us a photo.
Inspiring.
K says:
Your fairweather friends are missing out on bopping !!
K. Thankyou very much for your great words. We don't always get it right, but when we do it's great to hear !
