How To Build A Retaining Wall With Treated Pilings

[Posted on August 22nd, 2013 by Aaron Presley]

When you decide to build a retaining wall, it is of the utmost importance to use treated pilings. The piling that you use is typically going to be some type of lumber. If you use untreated wood, it’s going to have a negative effect in the construction. You may not see it now or a week from now, but eventually, the wood is going to be affected by the environment and warp or rot. When this happens, your retaining wall will come crumbling down.

You can build a retaining wall for anything. Ultimately, you use it for erosion control. You may also use it for landscaping at your home, on a golf course, or anywhere else. Regardless, treated pilings must be used so they can hold up against the environment.

It’s possible to find an array of pilings that have been treated. Some will be salt treated or marine treated. These are important to use when you build a retaining wall near the ocean. All of the waves and even the salt water are going to take a toll on the wall if you don’t use the right materials.

One of the main aspects to building the wall, too, is creating a bulkhead, which is the main part of the retaining wall. This can be made of wood, steel, or even vinyl. The benefit to using vinyl bulkhead material is that it is lighter and more cost effective. With less weight comes less problems during the construction as well as later on.

If you aren’t using treated pilings with your retaining wall, you need to plan on building a new wall every five years or so. Depending upon what the wall is doing and what is behind it, you may find it to be more expensive each time you rebuild it – which is why it’s imperative that you build it right the first time.

You can visit with a lumber company and tell them about your project. By speaking with a professional, you can go over your ideas and get some tips in terms of what materials should be purchased. They will give you a little how-to and talk about the different products that you will need – including treated pilings. If you aren’t sure what the pilings need to be treated with, the lumber company will be able to help you with this aspect.

The how-to on the retaining wall doesn’t matter if you aren’t using the right materials because it will only have to be redone in a few years when it all comes crashing down on you. There are plenty of how-to guides in the library, in home improvement stores, and online to show you how to create the retaining wall. When it comes to purchasing the materials, you want to rely on a lumber store to get you the pilings as well as the bulkhead material.
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Using treated pilings when building a retaining wall is important. To ensure your retaining wall lasts, the right materials must be used.