Hi team - I plan to lay ironwood sleepers down as a platform/deck/form part of a walkway as pavers. I was wondering what is the best way to lay them to make sure they stay put. I plan to screw the first one to the one I have used for edging (buffalo going in soon) and then lay the rest on the soil behind it - do I need crusher dust ? I have river sand cement and deco granite left over from a previous project and wondering if I can use any of it to stabilise and level the sleepers in ground. See pics for the idea/general plan. I’ve leveled the area and compacted the soil too.
Hello @nos
In order to keep the sleepers in place, I suggest installing footings on the side just like on retaining walls. Once anchored properly it will keep the ironwood sleepers from moving. I've placed some guides below to give you an idea of what you need to do. The goal is to provide the sleepers with a footing at the sides that that they can anchor onto. The footing is then given a concrete base which provides a very solid foundation.
Here are some handy step-by-step guides:
Let me call on our experienced members @Dave-1, @Nailbag and @Remarka6le for their recommendations.
If you need further assistance, please let us know.
Eric
Hi @nos ,
Just a quick additional note: ironwood sleepers are not structural and aren’t designed to be self-supporting or used as part of a load-bearing deck structure. They’re suitable for landscaping applications like edging and ground-level features when properly supported, but they shouldn’t be used as part of the actual deck framing or elevated construction.
It doesn’t sound like that’s what you’re planning, but as you mentioned “deck” and there’s an elevated deck visible in the background, I just wanted to clarify this to ensure everything is built safely and to standard.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Mitchell
Hi Mitchel - totally not for the deck :) I am planning to lay them flat on the ground and was wondering what is the best way to stabilise them like that ? When they are all together lined up it will look like a mini deck if you get me. I have done some research and using geo fabric, crushed grantie and maybe some paver sand on top to level would work ? I also saw that you can use concrete but it may crack Just wondering what your advice would be ? The soil underneath is solid and has been hand compacted.
I would try and trench them in, so they are held in place by the surrounding material, @nos. So, dig down 50mm and then place geo-fabric and 25mm of crushed rock on top. Compact this down and add your sleepers. You can then backfill soil up against them. This will help lock them in position. I do need to point out that, as these are not old solid hardwood sleepers (which you typically see people using railroad sleepers to make paths) and instead are Pine sleepers, they are not particularly stable through wetting and drying cycles. There is a high chance you'll see warping, bowing and distortion of this path as there is nothing fixing them in position. This could potentially offset to a certain extent by drilling holes through the sleepers and inserting, then driving down, reo bars into the soil. Hammer the reo down so it is flush with the surface of the sleeper.
At least that would peg them in place and stop them from moving around, but it might not assist much with distortion.
Good Afternoon @nos
You could go fro a cross between @MitchellMc's last suggestion and this one.
Instead of haveing the boards sitting embedded in the soil to hold them in place, you could go the route of timber ties (same ironwood) underneath the paths timber. Kind of like a railroad type deal but have the ties every 600mm say, embed those in the soil and screw the boards to the ties.
Would love to see some photos of your path as it unfolds and is finished :)
Dave
