How to ensure treated Pine sleepers last as long as possible?

renshao

We used this Treated Pine Sleeper for our hedge: https://www.bunnings.com.au/ironwood-sleeper-edge-h4-200-x-50mm-2-4m_p0333672

I literally just lay them in the ground, so half buried in soil, and use stakes to keep them together. Now it's been a few years and the orange colour has faded and a few of them broke.

I'd like to know how to keep them long lasting? What kind of coating can I apply to keep this orange/golden colour and make it more durable. Also, apart from those hardwood stakes, what else can I use to keep them standing up (without too much work). Thanks

JacobZ

Hi @renshao,

Your sleepers are H4 treated, so they are specifically designed for use in contact with the ground. Unfortunately, though, the orange/reddish-brown colour isn't permanent. Exposure to sunlight and weather will naturally cause the timber to fade and grey over time.

You can certainly apply an exterior timber oil to the exposed faces if you'd like to maintain a richer colour. Just keep in mind that this will become an ongoing maintenance job, as any coating exposed to the weather will eventually need to be reapplied. It also won't do a great deal for the portion buried in the soil.

Another important step for maximising the life of the sleepers is to treat any cuts, holes or other areas where fresh timber has been exposed. You can use TWA Woodcare 300g Ecoseal Tanalised Timber Treatment on these areas to restore protection to the exposed timber. This is particularly important on cut ends that will be in contact with the ground. Keep in mind that Ecoseal has a green tinge, so it is best suited to areas that won't be particularly visible.

For holding the sleepers upright, hardwood stakes are a decent option, but you'll want to use decently long stakes such as these Growies 50 x 50 x 600mm Hardwood Stake to ensure they are well anchored into the soil. You could simply add a few more or replace the existing ones with relatively low effort.

You could also use galvanised steel stakes such as these https://www.bunnings.com.au/jack-450mm-heavy-duty-steel-sleeper-peg-flat-stake_p1100606 with relatively low effort.

If you were willing to put in a bit more effort, concreted in sleeper posts are about the best option, but this would obviously mean removing the sleepers, digging holes, mixing and pouring concrete, then reinstating the sleepers.

Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob