Why Choose Oak Flooring?

Oak railway sleepers are considered to be the most popular type of wood used for flooring. Oak is at the top of the list for the following reasons:

1.       Durability

 Oak makes an ideal flooring option because it lasts much longer compared to other materials including tiles, marble, cement and concrete. In fact oak usually lasts between 500-800 years. Oak is also extremely durable and hard to break

2.       Beauty

Oak has an attractive grain that adds more detailing to the floor. Oak is like wine…It improves with age. You will notice that the natural colour and detail of oak flooring becomes more noticeable over time. If you want a very clean cut type of oak, choose a prime grade oak. On the other hand, if you want more details like knots and grain patterns, choose a rustic oak.

3.       Variety

There are several different oaks to choose from. Choose according to your preference. Easier to paint compared to other types of wood, timber merchants like Railway Sleeper usually offer oak products in different colours aside from their natural shade. Colours include lime white, peach and antique colours like burgundy and dark brown.

4.       Low maintenance

Oak can be costly but in the long run you will appreciate that the price is justified. Compared to other woods, oak doesn’t require costly maintenance. Resistant to fungal and insect attacks, oak is resistant to termites, parasites and mould mites. It is also easy to clean and it doesn’t trap any unpleasant smells.

5.       Elegance

Oak has always been appreciated for its beauty and elegance. It is also respected for of its overall qualities.

See our extensive list of oak railway sleepers and find the perfect oak for your flooring project. Call Railway Sleeper on +44 (0)1536 267107 for more details.

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More From Railway Sleeper UK

Railway Sleeper is a UK based company that offers a wide variety of high quality railway sleepers. Their products are reasonably priced, yet premium quality is always assured. Railway Sleeper UK provides the most excellent selection of sleepers including new railway sleepers, reclaimed sleepers and even sleepers that are used for raised bed kits, decking, fencing and cladding. Aside from cheap railway sleepers, the company is also a distributor of the following:

Quick Drying Concrete

Quick drying cement that is perfect for your gate posts and fencing, this mixture is easy to use and very advantageous. Just add water and you can start your project – nothing more, nothing less. Enjoy its rapid drying properties as it assures the durability of your project.

Firewood

You can choose from seasoned firewood, sawmill offcuts and hardwood logs. These are freshly sawn logs from the railway sleeper offcuts. Firewood is usually sold by volume. At Railway Sleeper UK, 1 cubic metre bags of seasoned firewood are available, as well as single 1 cubic metre bags of Precut Unseasoned Sawmill Offcuts and 4 Bulk Bags of Precut Mixed Builders Unseasoned Offcuts.

Compressed Wood Brisquettes

Wood briquettes are made of compressed saw dust and wood chippings. One good characteristic of these briquettes is that they produce minimal ash, unlike other firewood products. Also producing less smoke - which is good for keeping your chimney clearer - these wood briquettes are more efficient to use than other kinds of wood. It may burn and light like other wood but the heat produced by a bag of wood briquettes is equivalent to the heat from 30kg of dry wood.

Wood briquettes are available in two types – the Ecofire Oak Nuggets and the Mechanically Pressed Hardwood.

Firewood Log Storage

Proper storage could shelter your firewood from exposure to the elements. This will prolong the shelf life and effectivity of the wood. Railway Sleeper UK's log storage is made from high quality materials, with air flow slats and tight roofing to prevent the water from dripping onto the wood. Once assembled, the firewood log storage unit measures approximately 1400mm in width, 620mm in depth and 1400mm in height. Firewood log storage units are made to order.

Special offers are also available. Check the Railway Sleeper UK website now and find the perfect deals for your requirements. To learn more about our products please contact us on +44 (0)1536 267107. Alternatively, you can simply leaving a message here.

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Types of Railway Sleepers

Railway sleepers were introduced as a building material fit for decking, cladding, or fencing in the late 1900s. Today, cheap railway sleepers are seen as a viable alternative to build garden extensions like patios, decks, beams and many other building projects.

Here's a fact: the market selling railway sleepers is huge. With four major sleeper options to choose from – timber, steel, concrete and composites, which one is the best option for your requirements? Consider the following advantages and disadvantages and then you can make up your mind.

Wooden or Timber Railway Sleepers

Perhaps the most ideal, most versatile and the most common choice, Timber sleepers are ideal building materials because they are naturally strong. Good insulators, suitable for any kind of building areas, not easily damaged given the proper care and the cheapest and most affordable railway sleeper to date, timber railway sleepers can be successfully paired with teal, sal, cedar and many more.

On the negative side, wooden sleepers can be infested resulting in premature rotting. They may also catch fire and are subject to a change in colour or texture over time, due to several conditions like constant foot traffic and the changing seasons.

Steel Sleepers

Solid, tactile, tough and strong, railway sleepers produced in steel come with the advantage of strength and resistance to infestation and decay. However, steel is susceptible to rusting over time, especially when constantly exposed to damp environments. Unlike wood, steel is not that versatile and might be expensive if you require a customised cut to fit your building project.

Concrete Railway Sleepers

First used in France in the early 1900s, these sleepers became more popular during the 1950s. Concrete sleepers are made up of cast concrete slabs shaped using internally reinforced steel wires. Concrete is a very good sleeper material because it has a longer service life, is virtually resilient to environmental deterioration, is resistant to fire and is efficiently strong.

Due to the high quality of concrete railway sleepers, they also come with an expensive price tag. They cannot be manufactured easily because they require a skilled workforce and special equipment to produce, so they are limited in the market.

Composite Railway Sleepers

Manufactured from various raw materials like plastics, rubber tyres and waste fibreglass, composite railway sleepers are an ideal choice if you want a synthetic material with the versatility of wood and the durability of concrete. Composite provides many advantages because you can customise it just like wood and is as durable as concrete railway sleepers, sometimes even more so. The only concern that you might find with composite railway sleepers is that they come at a price.

If you're looking for quality, affordable and versatile railway sleepers we advise that you consider wooden railway sleepers as your best choice. Contact us for more information on our railway sleeper products. 

Using Railway Sleepers for your Stairs

If you're looking for affordable but very classy materials for your stairs at home or in your office, cheap railway sleepers are perfect for you. Railway Sleepers are very flexible when it comes to style. Whether you want a spiral, helical, a simply designed one, or a grand staircase for your humble home, railway sleepers are surely on top of your list. Listed below are some of the reasons why it will be beneficial for you to use railway sleepers for your stairs:

Classically Coloured

            Railway sleepers are made of wood that's why they are naturally coloured. Brown is a classic colour for stairs especially if your home is a Mediterranean one. What's good about choosing wooden elements is that they have natural borders and lines that add detail and accent to the design of your stairs.

Good Quality

            Railway sleepers are usually thick that's why they do not break easily. Wooden materials last a lot of decades as long as they are maintained well. This is also the reason why there are a lot of second hand railway sleepers because they are very durable. Even if you want to repair your stairs, you can still use the railway sleepers for other construction projects; unlike cement that are usually demolished or literally broken down first before you can change the position or style of your stairs. This advantage will also allow you to save time and money to be allotted for renovation.

Considering Safety

            Wood properties are usually safer than cement. They are less slippery and they do not have hard and pointed edges. If you have a child at home, you really have to choose safer materials for your staircase because most children are very playful. They love to run and roam around the house. Because of their energetic nature, they end up injuring themselves – either they accidentally bump their head into the wall, got bruise because they stumbled, or they got an open wound because they fell off somewhere. Of course we do not want these things to happen, right? As the old saying goes, 'Prevention is better than cure'; so before anything worse happens, prevent major injuries by choosing much safer materials in your home like railway sleepers.

Easy to Cut and Attach

            Another advantage of using railway sleepers is the fact that they can be cut and attached easily. Whatever is the cut and design you want in your staircase, it's possible because of the flexibility of the railway sleepers. This advantage will also help you save time, effort, and money that you will allocate for labour.

            If you're convinced about the advantages of using these wooden sleepers for your staircase, kindly contact Railway Sleeper to help you out in choosing the right products for the construction of your staircase. Thanks for reading!