Better Homes and Gardens (Australia)
EASY STEPS TO make A BOARDWALK PATH
Use treated pine sleepers to create a chunky garden path that’s a lot easier to lay than pavers or concrete.
Gather your supplies
• Base sleepers 200 x 75mm H4 treated pine sleepers • Slabs 200 x 50mm H4 treated pine sleepers • Plants (We used Lomandra ‘Tanika’ and Viola hederacea)
You’ll also need
Stringlines; roadbase; wooden stakes (4); black exterior paint; painting equipment; circular saw; drill; 5mm bit; 100mm galvanised batten screws; wheelbarrow; hose; garden soil; mulch
Here’s how
STEP 1 Set up a pair of stringlines along path area strung between wooden stakes. Make each stringline 100mm inside finished width of path and at height of base sleepers, which is 50mm below finished height of path. STEP 2 On inside of stringlines, spread a layer of roadbase about 250mm wide for base sleepers to sit on. Place sleepers on roadbase and adjust its depth so top of sleepers meet stringlines all the way along the path.
STEP 3 Apply 2 coats of black exterior paint to
1 face and both edges of sleepers for path slabs. Allow to dry between coats.
STEP 4 On one side of path, reset stringline to the line of the ends of the path slabs. Use a circular saw to cut sleepers for path slabs to length, here 800mm, then lay a few on top of base sleepers at 1 end of path. At 150mm from each end of slab, predrill using 5mm drill bit then screw first slab to base sleeper with 100mm batten screws. Leave screws closest to adjoining slab proud of slab by about 20mm.
STEP 5 At other end of path, temporarily insert screws into base sleepers 50mm from the outside edges. Run stringlines from these screws to the screws that are proud on the first slab. Screw remaining slabs in place using the stringlines as a guide so all your screws are straight. Leave a 10mm gap between the slabs.
STEP 6 Continue cutting, laying and screwing slabs to base sleepers. Try to space the sleepers so you will end up with a full sleeper at the end of the path.
STEP 7 Hose top of path to clean. Fill gaps on either side of path with garden soil, then plant up. Mulch the soil, then water in the new plantings.