Cannot be used to create curving walls as can concrete and stone. Stone requires a mason for projects bigger than small garden walls. Now most of those customers have replaced the heavy timbers with something more permanent. Design and installation.
Do-it-yourselfers can install short walls along their landscaping. But when it comes to building bigger projects, go with professional equipment and expertise. Keep in mind a wall can provide privacy from neighbors and passers-by, but avoid building a solid one without a break. Rhaesa, who installs natural stone, says retaining walls can flow into stairs and outdoor fireplaces for a cohesive backyard design.
Getting access to the back yard and hauling old railroad ties to an approved landfill account for the heavy price tag. Alternatives to Railroad Ties Some of the naturally durable woods that can be used to replace the creosote-soaked logs are redwood, cedar, cypress and black locust.
It is also possible to buy pressure-treated wood or to buy clear wood and treat the timbers yourself. The chemicals in old railroad ties has been shown to leak into the soil and be absorbed by plants. Block retaining walls are safe for children, pets , and edible or decorative plants. Repair the damage. If there is surface splintering on the tie , sand or grind it off. If there is rot , sand it away or saw it off.
If there are holes in the tie , fill them with spike-hole filler compound, which is specifically meant to fill up holes in railroad ties. Using railroad ties for garden beds can pose a threat to your soil, pets and children, as well as the food you grow.
Railroad ties are thick, durable, cheap, recycled wood that forms long-lasting barriers for beds, paths and retaining walls. The best idea if you already have the wood in your landscape is to remove it. Yes, all landfills accept railroad ties. However, they must be permitted into each facility and can not be longer than 8 feet.
The European Commission has banned the sale of creosote -treated wood after it was found that there could be a cancer risk. Scientists carrying out a study for the commission have found that creosote is much more hazardous than originally thought.
The ban takes effect from June 30, Every EPA site said the same thing about the main preservative in old railroad ties : "Creosote is a possible human carcinogen and has no registered residential use. Dangers to People Short-term exposure to creosote can cause skin, eye and respiratory irritation; longer-term exposure may cause organ damage or cancer. Burying the first row of ties and pounding ample steel spikes or lengths of rebar to hold levels of ties together effectively anchors the ties.
Excavate a trench to accommodate the bottom layer of railroad ties. Tamp the soil at the bottom of the trench to compact it.
The rails are connected to each other by railroad ties called sleepers in Europe , which may be made of wood or concrete. The rails are usually bolted to the ties. So today, I would get bids from several local companies that do asbestos removal—they already have the expertise, the right protective equipment, and perhaps of equal importance: access to safe disposal options—and get pros to do it.
Have them remove all the rotting wood and the top inch of soil. Then the homeowner or a landscaper —wearing long sleeves, protective gloves and a heavy duty dust mask—can have soil brought in to level the area, lay cardboard over the soil, frame out raised beds , drop them on top of the cardboard and fill them with topsoil, compost and perlite as discussed at length in our previous Questions of the week on raised beds—found under the letter R.
You can use non-dyed wood chips or bark mulch to cover the two-foot-wide walking lanes between the beds, but nothing weirdly colored or bad smelling. Then you'll be growing in clean soil for sure. And there won't be contaminated soil or sawdust blowing around for people to inhale or otherwise come into contact with. As we've stressed in the past, the big danger with treated wood comes from inhaling the toxins and absorbing them through your skin—so "just growing ornamentals there" as opposed to food crops isn't a safe option.
Do it right; you'll sleep better at night, and you'll also get highly productive garden beds out of the deal. You can even take your time and build a few of the new raised beds every season—my 'go slow' approach for people who have just moved into a new place. But that's just for building the new beds. I'd want all the old wood and that top inch of soil out of there right away. Otherwise, the people in that house are in danger of inhaling toxins every day.
And if those people were to try and work in un-remediated soil without protection, they'd risk ingesting the chemicals through inhalation and skin contact; and even worse, getting a toxic splinter. No matter what kind of wood treatment was used, the splinters are nasty!
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