If you’re looking for a sturdy, attractive retaining wall to help keep your land from washing away, railroad ties are a solid choice. Not only do they last for years, but they also add rustic beauty to the area. If you have the plans and the patience, building a wall with railroad ties can be done in a weekend. It will require some heavy lifting so make sure you have some help
Prepare the railroad ties. Sand the railroad ties and treat them with an oil-based wood preservative to help protect them from moisture. Before assembling, lay out some of the ties so that you have a good idea where they will be placed.
Prepare the railroad ties. Sand the railroad ties and treat them with an oil-based wood preservative to help protect them from moisture. Before assembling, lay out some of the ties so that you have a good idea where they will be placed.
Lay down a level board or 2X4 as a base for your wall to sit on top of. This is what will hold up all of your railroad ties, so make sure it’s sturdy enough
Make a foundation for the wall. Dig a trench that is 12 inches deep and 6 inches wide and fill it with gravel to let water drain away from the wall.
Dig a trench that is 12 inches deep and 6 inches wide. Fill it with gravel to let water drain away from the wall.
When you’re laying railroad ties, make sure you backfill the trench after setting them in place. This footing is necessary to hold the weight of your railroad tie retaining wall.
Pour concrete footings for the posts. The footing is necessary to hold the weight of the wall and to keep it in place for years to come.
- Pour concrete footings for the posts. The footing is necessary to hold the weight of the wall and to keep it in place for years to come.
- Dig holes at least 12 inches deep and 6 inches wide, then fill them with gravel (not dirt) so that water can drain away from your structure.
- Pack around each post with sand or stone to level out its surface at ground level before pouring in concrete mix.
Frame out posts at each end of the wall. Use pressure-treated 4x4s to make posts that stand 3 feet above ground level. Attach the 4x4s to the railroad ties with lag bolts from both sides of each post.
- Use pressure-treated 4x4s for posts that stand 3 feet above ground level.
- Attach the 4x4s to the railroad ties with lag bolts from both sides of each post.
- Drill a hole in one of the 4x4s where you want it to sit atop a railroad tie, making sure you drill an 8-inch deep hole (the depth will vary depending on how thick your railroad ties are) before attaching the post.
Drill a hole through one of the 4x4s that will be at either end of your run, about 8 inches up from one end of a tie, or 12 inches up for taller walls (you’ll be pouring concrete into this hole later).
- Drill a hole through one of the 4x4s that will be at either end of your run, about 8 inches up from one end of a tie, or 12 inches up for taller walls (you’ll be pouring concrete into this hole later).
- Place your first tie on top of the post and screw it into place using long lag bolts. Use two screws per side to ensure stability, then repeat with the remaining ties until all posts are connected to ties along their length
- Drill another hole through one 4×4 at each end of your wall and place another tie directly across from them so that there is about 1/4 inch between each pair of boards’ centers (which means there should be about 3/4 inch between each pair’s edges).. You’ll need four more lateral braces here to hold everything together as you pour in concrete over them during construction: two in front (one on each side), and two behind (again one on each side).
Add in fill and compact it as needed on either side of your tie wall. Some people prefer to make tie walls solid so they can be used as seating, while others are more comfortable with hollow space behind them (the former will need more fill).
You can use different types of fill depending on your preference. For example, you may want a solid tie wall that you can use as seating and not have to worry about the back being hollowed out. This will require more fill than if it were hollowed out because it will need more material to fill in the space behind where people’s legs would go when sitting on this type of wall. On the other hand, if you just want an aesthetically pleasing tie wall that isn’t meant for sitting, less fill will be needed because there won’t be any voids behind each tie-shaped piece of wood when they are stacked up together.
More often than not though (unless there is an actual drainage issue), most people prefer having at least some spaces between their railroad ties so they can plant flowers or shrubs within those areas
Conclusion
Building a wall with railroad ties is no easy task. You’ll need to put in a lot of hard work and dedication, but the final product will be worth it. Just remember that you should always wear proper safety gear while working. If you don’t think you can handle this project on your own, then hire someone who has experience with building tie walls to help out
