Okay, so I’ve been messing around with this idea in my head for a while – creating a sort of “floating” effect with some timber in my backyard. I finally got around to doing it, and I figured I’d share how it went, bumps and all. I’m calling it “batten dancing sleeper timber” because, well, it kinda looks like it’s dancing, and I used battens and sleepers. Creative, I know.

Getting Started

First, I gathered my materials. I already had a bunch of old railway sleepers lying around (don’t ask), and I picked up some sturdy timber battens from the local hardware store. I also grabbed:

• A whole lot of screws (exterior grade, of course)
• My trusty drill
• A spirit level (gotta keep things straight!)
• A measuring tape
• Safety glasses (because flying wood chips are no joke)
• Some wood preservative

The Messy Part

I started by prepping the sleepers. These things were rough, so I gave them a good scrub with a wire brush to get rid of any loose dirt and debris. Then, I gave everything a good coat of Wood preservative, for make it last longer.

Next, I laid out the sleepers where I wanted them. This took some fiddling to get the spacing and “dancing” effect just right. I wanted it to look random, but not too random, you know?

Then came the fun part – attaching the battens. I decided to attach the battens to the underside of the sleepers, creating that “floating” look. The idea was to have the battens hidden, so it looked like the sleepers were just magically hovering.

I measured and cut the battens to size. This was a bit of trial and error, I won’t lie. I wanted the battens to be long enough to provide support, but not so long that they’d be visible. I pre-drilled the holes to attach my battens to my sleepers to avoid wood from splitting.

Then I use A whole lot of screws, secured the battens to the sleepers. This was the most time-consuming part, making sure everything was level and secure. My arms definitely got a workout!

The “Finished” Product (For Now)

After a lot of sweat, I finally got it all assembled. I stood back and… well, it looked pretty cool! The sleepers really did seem to be “dancing” above the ground. But it’s for sure not perfect, it’s got that rustic, DIY charm, and I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. I might add some more sleepers later, or maybe even some lighting underneath. It’s a work in progress, but that’s half the fun, right?