Poor finish on railway sleepers

[shazchip]

So we recently had our garden done and a new low wall built with railway sleepers as part of that. They're not nicely finished, very rough and sort of splintered (I've attached photos).

I want to make it all smooth so we can sit/stand on it without getting splinters. I know nothing about DIY - do I just need to get some rough sandpaper and work on it with that or will that just bring up more splinters? Anybody know what I should do?

Thanks in advance!

[GreyishDays]

Yeah sanding should work. You can get a sanding block (£5 ish) to make it much easier or an electric sander (£25 ish) if you want some fun.

[shazchip]

Thankyou ☺️

[twostripycats]

Oh looks lovely OP! We’re actually just about to do very similar in our garden. Is that real or artificial grass? We’re going down the artificial route

[PigletJohn]

I think it will take a very long time sanding it, even with a power tool. If you want to try, a coarse paper will remove material fastest, but a fine one will make it smoothest. So start with a coarse one to get the roughest bits off. Round the corners, where splinters will be worst.

if it was me I think I'd use a planer, then sand off the edges.

Use a dust mask, goggles and gloves. You will need to wash your skin, clothes and hair afterwards. Some people (I) react badly to breathing wood dust.

[daisypond]

Are they new railway sleepers or repurposed ones? They look new.

[shazchip]

@twostripycats
Thanks!
No it's real grass - a pain to maintain but I love the smell and feel of real grass and want my kids to play on real grass. Also I can't bring myself to replace the lovely spot of nature we have with yet more plastic.

[totallyyesno]

We’re going down the artificial route blush
Why??

[shazchip]

@PigletJohn
Thankyou for the advice! I think I'll try with sandpaper first before buying an actual power tool. Good advice on the mask/goggles..

[shazchip]

@daisypond : not sure, the landscapers put them in. I'd guess they're new if you say they look it.. :)

[Bluntness100]

You can get a sanding attachment for your drill. Would make it much easier than messing about with paper.

[Bluntness100]

Is that real or artificial grass

It’s very clearly real grass, plastic grass is generally very obvious and doesn’t look like the real thing up close.

[twostripycats]

Ok Bluntness. Some of the ones I’ve been looking at online do look very real in the images.

[twostripycats]

@totallyyesno because we live in Scotland where it rains most of the time and the grass will be wet and neither of us have the time or inclination to look after it.