What gives sleepers such a specific smell? Where does the unique smell at train stations come from? What do sleepers and a train station smell like?

A house built from sleepers is not uncommon today. This material is relatively cheap and is often used in construction. However, judging by numerous reviews, the owners of such houses are often bothered by the smell of creosote in the house. The fact is that in the production of sleepers, in order to extend their service life, an impregnation procedure is provided with a special composition, which has a very strong antiseptic effect. Due to this fact, sleeper home owners are wondering whether the smell of creosote is harmful to health? What should residents do if they happen to live in such a house? Information on how to get rid of creosote smell is presented in this article.

Introduction to antiseptic

Creosote is a very toxic mixture containing various phenols and aromatized carbons. To produce this antiseptic, wood and coal tar are used, which are treated with caustic alkaline solutions and sulfuric acid.

This explains why homeowners are so interested in how to remove creosote smell from sleepers. Despite this drawback, such structures have several advantages, which will be discussed below.

On the merits of buildings made from sleepers

According to experts, a house for the construction of which sleepers are used will survive several generations. Judging by numerous reviews, there is no fungus, rodents or insects in such a building. In addition, the house is moisture resistant, does not rot, and is characterized by high heat capacity. In frosty weather, you can quickly warm it up, after which the heat will remain for a long time. In summer, on the contrary, it is cool in a house made of sleepers.

In the production of sleepers, pine or other coniferous wood is often used. Due to the fact that this material is soft and has a uniform structure, it is much easier to process.

About the disadvantages

The question of how to remove the smell of creosote in the house, according to experts, is quite important. This is due to the fact that the antiseptic is very harmful to human health. After a long stay in the house, sleepers may develop various diseases liver, problems with the respiratory organs may arise, which will lead to the appearance of asthma. Constant headaches, allergies and skin diseases are also not uncommon for residents of such a house. Diseases can develop into a chronic form. In addition, the state of the nervous system is disrupted. But the biggest danger of creosote is that it Chemical substance can trigger the appearance and development of cancer cells. According to experts, if creosote gets on the skin during the impregnation of sleepers, a person will suffer serious burns. They also arise from vapors released under the influence of high temperatures in warehouses with sleepers.

About the processing method

Judging by numerous reviews, some owners of such buildings hardly think about how to remove the smell of sleepers from the house. The reason for this is a special method of wood processing. In the production of sleepers, surface (depth from 0.5 to 1 cm) and through impregnation is provided (through pressure, the antiseptic acts on the entire block). If sleepers that have undergone surface treatment with creosote are used for construction, the house will be provided with fairly good ventilation, and the harm from the antiseptic will be minimal. However, this does not mean that it does not exist at all. When the heat comes, residents will immediately notice an unpleasant odor. Therefore, whether to build a house from sleepers or use other building materials, everyone decides for himself.

About fire safety

According to experts, sleepers impregnated with creosote pose a danger not only to the health of residents, but also to their lives. The fact is that wood after treatment with this antiseptic becomes highly flammable. In the event of a fire, such a house will burn down in less than half an hour. Considering this fact and the harmfulness of creosote, since 2003 in European countries it has been prohibited to build houses for civilians from this building material. Our situation is the opposite, and therefore many are wondering how to remove the smell of sleepers? More on this below.

How to remove creosote smell? First way

The negative impact of a carcinogen can be minimized if inner part separate the house from the sleepers using sheets of plasterboard. First, the home craftsman will have to build a metal or wooden frame on which the sheets will be mounted.

Of course, you can sheathe it yourself, but it’s better to entrust it to a professional. Additionally, it is advisable to fill the space between the frame and sleepers with a vapor barrier, airtight material. Clean cement should be used for processing joints. You should get a mixture with a consistency like sour cream. Using a brush cement mortar all cracks and grooves are filled.

For those who do not know how to remove the smell of sleepers from the house, experts advise completely eliminating its penetration into the living space. Craftsmen recommend using construction foam to fill joints in door and window blocks. Some people traditionally use tow for this purpose. However, as experts assure, in this case it will be ineffective. It is important that harmful vapors do not enter the house at all, and polyurethane foam is ideal for this purpose. It is necessary to blow foam into the joints so that the vapor barrier is not disturbed by sockets and other electrical wiring elements.

Second way

Judging by the reviews, we can conclude that hardboard is a good way to upholster sleepers. Some craftsmen mount it on wood from the inside. However, hardboard is not effective for long. It tends to swell over time. As a result, its surface becomes wavy. As a result, cracks form on the hardboard, through which the unpleasant smell of creosote from sleepers penetrates into the room. Residents experience especially a lot of inconvenience in summer time. The owner of the house will have to tear off the hardboard covering and cover the sleepers with sheets of plasterboard. Those who upholster a house with clapboard also face a similar problem. After some time, it will also have to be dismantled and replaced with sheets. Polyurethane foam is used to seal joints. Then the plasterboard surface is carefully painted over, and wallpaper is glued on top.

What else can you do?

Those who do not know how to remove the smell of sleepers from the house can be advised to use plastic film. From the inside of the house you need to cover the entire structure with it. It is important that tightness is maintained in all directions - in the area of ​​walls, ceiling and floor. This will prevent vapors from escaping into the living space.

What film should I use?

Some owners of sleeper houses purchase ordinary film for work, which is used in arranging greenhouses. However, judging by the reviews, it quickly becomes unusable. Therefore, it is more advisable to acquire a special polyethylene film, for which fiberglass reinforcement is provided. You can also use foil-foamed polyethylene foam.

According to experts, compared to greenhouse film, this one will last much longer. In addition, the material can be used by those owners who installed not sheets of plasterboard on the frame, but lining or hardboard. If home craftsman wants to save money, he just needs to temporarily dismantle the structure and cover the sleepers themselves with foamed polyethylene film. Then the lining (hardboard and sheets of plasterboard) is attached back on top of it. Some craftsmen recommend using Vetonite putty, rather than polyurethane foam, to blow in joints. In their opinion, walls treated with this substance will look more attractive.

What should you pay attention to?

Despite the fact that with a vapor barrier, the house should become an airtight structure, unpleasant odors and harmful substances will not penetrate into it, and the wooden walls will stop “breathing.” Therefore, before removing the smell of sleepers from your home, you should worry about high-quality ventilation. Otherwise, the heat exchange in the room will not be fully carried out, which will lead to the accumulation of moisture. To prevent this, rooms are equipped with adjustable openings for fresh air to enter the home: microventilation devices, vents and windows. Exhaust ducts are required in bathrooms and kitchens. Additional exhaust fans. This will become the basis for creating a favorable climate in the house. Of course, you should not hope that one hundred percent protection against poisons will be achieved. However, if the work is done correctly, the level of penetration of toxic substances into the living space will be minimized as much as possible.

Finally

Due to the fact that sleepers are considered relatively inexpensive building material, it is best to use them for the construction of non-residential buildings, sheds and other utility rooms. Since a person only gets to spend a little time in them, the risk of spoiling his health is minimal.

In addition, in a barn it is not necessary to cover the walls, floor and ceiling with foamed plastic film. It will be enough to simply cover them with plasterboard, or you can do without it altogether.

Sportsman 29-07-2008 17:24

I’m finishing up the garage and started laying the floors. Kind people suggested sleepers for translations. Ok, I found used sleepers for cheap and brought them. In the morning I go into the garage and it stinks. I worked for half an hour - I smelled a strong stink, threw out the most smelly sleeper in my opinion - it became easier. but it still smells like the railway... it is of course romantic, a memory of travel, etc... BUT HARMFUL!!! The question is - what to do? Or will the garage floor smell less? I’m not going to live there, the workshop is also separate - just to build a horse. and the sleepers are ancient, generally dry in appearance... I know that many even made basements out of sleepers - that’s probably where the gas van is...

qwwerty 29-07-2008 17:49

Creosote, it seems. This is impregnation so as not to rot. If you paint them later, they will stink much less.

Oregonian 29-07-2008 17:50

The sleepers are treated with some kind of chemical like creosote... which causes Cancer. Therefore, all the switchmen who were on the railway were transferred. and those who lived in basements with sleepers also disappeared. So decide for yourself

Ann 29-07-2008 17:55

Creosote is truly a carcinogen, and it will stink for a very, very long time.
Either put some kind of insulation on the floor, or redo everything and replace the sleepers with something more normal.

P.S. There were people who even built houses from stolen or used sleepers. Especially in forest-poor areas. And they even lived in them. True, usually not for long.

Serjant 29-07-2008 18:04

throw out all the sleepers.
this is the only way out. Creazote is never erased by anything.

Billy Kid 07/29/2008 19:04quote: Kind people suggested sleepers for translations
Punch these “good people” in the face for such advice.
Genzel 29-07-2008 19:11

Sorry… (((
Throw them away! Your health is yours!
And advise “good people” to sprinkle grain on the roof of their car every morning and that stains on the car from sticky buds from trees are good to remove with brilliant green.

ASDER_K 29-07-2008 19:18

At my father’s dacha, the base of the barn is made of sleepers... the sleepers are old. They were decommissioned 35 - 40 years ago... so they don’t stink even now... not like my father ever stank... they are made from larch boiled in bitumen...

right now - yes, the smelly ones are gone...

Ann 29-07-2008 19:35

There are several sleepers different types... The usual ones are wood in creosote. For southern regions They did impregnation with vitriol, for Central Asia, we don’t have those.
It seems that boiling in bitumen was not used commercially for sleepers. Only telegraph poles did this.

The shed is a fix... But in the garage, if you have plans to stay there for any length of time, it’s better that this doesn’t happen.

crap 29-07-2008 23:04

We also had sleepers at our dacha. 19 years - normal flight, they stank until the floor was laid tightly, about a year. then it didn’t smell like anything. By the way, the sleepers were laid new.

Sportsman 30-07-2008 09:18

What if they are sealed with plastic wrap? and the floors on top?

Oregonian 07/30/2008 09:21quote:
I propose moving the topic to the Memorial. fkbr 07/30/2008 09:26quote:Originally posted by Sportsist:
What if they are sealed with plastic wrap? Can I coat it with bitumen mastic under the film?
Sportsman 07/30/2008 10:33quote:Originally posted by fkbr:
Can I coat it with bitumen mastic under the film?

I mean why?

San Sanych 30-07-2008 12:21

This is to prevent the creosote from evaporating.

A house made of sleepers - three years and the whole family in the cemetery. Statistics, sir...
At the dacha opposite they built a house from sleepers.
What can I say... The first owners are all already THERE, the second ones are half THERE, but they stubbornly say that “The pancake doesn’t rot”

Sportsman 30-07-2008 12:33

they scared me, damn it... I'll have to look for timber

San Sanych 30-07-2008 12:36

No, you can leave the sleepers, but fill them with bitumen to prevent evaporation from the sleepers and plus, if you don’t live in the garage, then it will be fine IMHO

Sportsman 30-07-2008 15:01

threw away. because it's scary. Who thinks about the poles, which are popularly called “telegraph”? (in fact, until recently they carried wired long-distance telephony)

Abar 30-07-2008 16:23

Right! Very poisonous rubbish, in our village the house was made of sleepers, so the whole family there died of cancer... So screw it!

crap 30-07-2008 16:32

Sportsman, are you going to live in a garage? Sleepers are normal for a garage. (although my channels are spliced)
and none of us died at the dacha... although other people live there now...

Sportsman 30-07-2008 16:37

I thought: am I a fool for building in a 100% forested region using stinking sleepers??? I didn’t take the poles either, what the heck. I took 5 round logs 3.5 m, diameter 23-26, paid 500 rubles, although I loaded it myself.

ASDER_K 07/30/2008 16:41quote:Originally posted by Sportsist:

gave 500 rubles,

For all????????!?!?!? and you were still fooling around with the sleepers?????? ASDER_K 07/30/2008 16:47quote:Originally posted by Sportsist:

why, is it expensive?

kopecks Abar 30-07-2008 16:57

Health is more expensive, and your prices are really low...

Sportsman 30-07-2008 17:03

but there’s nothing - I sifted through the lens cap - so everyone unanimously said: go to Moscow! Because of the cap, maybe someone will send a penny? in PM? plz...

crap 07/30/2008 17:15quote:Originally posted by Sportsist:

can someone send it?

I'm changing the lids to logs! Sportsman 30-07-2008 17:35quote:Originally posted by damn:

I'm changing the lids to logs!

On the vine pick up

crap 30-07-2008 17:56

no, off to Mongolia.

PILOT_SVM 07/30/2008 23:17quote:Originally posted by Serjant:
throw out all the sleepers.
this is the only way out. Creazote is never erased by anything.

Everything has already been said about creosote - POISON. Sportsman 07/31/2008 09:18quote:Originally posted by damn:
no, off to Mongolia.

I'm lying around, why doesn't anyone know my city??? By the way, it is closer than Kazan to Moscow - only 750 km. Have you heard of Cheboksary? so it’s 80 km from them to me.

Sportsman 07/31/2008 09:19quote:Originally posted by PILOT_SVM:

If you’ve already thrown them away, then good, but you should also put them away.
Everything has already been said about creosote - POISON.

I sold them to a neighbor at a low price, he really asked... well, in principle, he doesn’t have long to live anyway

crap 07/31/2008 09:38quote:Originally posted by Sportsist:

rolled around...
why doesn't anyone know my city???

I probably got confused, but still far away.
fkbr 07/31/2008 10:01quote:Originally posted by Sportsist:
why doesn't anyone know my city??? no need to generalize.
Genzel 31-07-2008 10:45

Originally posted by Sportsist:

gave 500 rubles,
This is just me, to compare prices and I also sold it for cheap)))

Sportsman 07/31/2008 16:27quote:Originally posted by ASv:

Off-topic, but I actually thought it was in Kazakhstan and was stunned: “Well, people are not lazy interior doors bring from Kazakhstan?"

Where does the forest come from in Kazakhstan??? and we have a lot of doors, yes. including iron ones - I know for sure in Moscow they sell doors and locks.

SergeyVS 31-07-2008 20:56

DIZZI 07/31/2008 21:37quote:Originally posted by SergeyVS:

And if they are used as a base for a bath with vents. A sleeper, then a log, then a bathhouse?

Sergey, many people do this.

What is the best way to finish a bathhouse made of sleepers so that creosote does not seep through?

I personally didn’t, although the sleepers were free. Let it be better log lies on a stone. Its better modern antiseptic pass the. Rexby 01-08-2008 09:34

Today, waste wooden sleepers are one of the main environmental problems RUSSIAN RAILWAYS.
The sleepers are impregnated with an antiseptic containing phenol, hence the harmfulness.
Refers to hazard class 3 for environment- moderately hazardous waste(5 hazard classes in total).
Therefore, they cannot even be placed in landfills (only waste of hazard class 4-5 is allowed to be placed there).
And even more so, sleepers should not be given to the population, but we used to do this, and houses were built from them, although our region is not poor in forests.

Sportsman 01-08-2008 09:51

Abar 01-08-2008 10:54

SergeyVS 07-08-2008 11:12quote:Originally posted by DIZZI:

Sergey, many people do this. I personally didn’t, although the sleepers were free. It’s better to let the log lie on the stone. It is better to go through it with a modern antiseptic.
What
DIZZI 08-08-2008 12:02quote:Originally posted by SergeyVS:

What

I couldn't ask yesterday

The stores are full of all kinds of antiseptics.

Oregonian 08-08-2008 07:17quote: I recommend everyone to stay away from sleepers - within a day, lying in the garage in cool weather stank so much that your head hurt
Well, I finally understood what it is. From communicating with smart people, you yourself become like them. Pavel_A 12-08-2008 11:48

I'm sorry, but I live in a house like this, maybe the sleepers are different???

Oregonian 12-08-2008 17:38quote: I'm sorry, but I live in a house like this, maybe the sleepers are different???
Or maybe I’m living, but not living? sahara 12-08-2008 19:04quote:Originally posted by Sportsist:
I thought: am I a fool for building in a 100% forested region using stinking sleepers???

and people also... stare at them

Pavel_A 13-08-2008 20:50quote:Originally posted by The Oregonian:

Or maybe I’m living, but not living?

We saw what your houses are built from, who the hell knows how they live in this chemistry, if the timber has been buried in the ground for 50 years, they dug it up, and it’s like new, and the electric poles on the streets are saturated with some kind of crap, they stand for 50 years without little boy. so the creazote before the bourgeois impregnation is just son.

Nikifor 20-08-2008 23:08

An acquaintance from Zheldorbatov told how they sold sleepers, new, smelly, for the construction of bathhouses.
and the old ones, weathered, said nothing, go to the baths...

Pavel_A 08/21/2008 09:15quote:Originally posted by Nikifor:

and the old weathered ones, said nothing, go to the baths

they say that after 20 years the creazote evaporates and the sleepers become less harmful. Oregonian 08/21/2008 10:35quote: The electric poles on the streets are saturated with some kind of crap, they stand for 50 years without a guard.
Pasha, we don’t build houses with them. come, I’ll show you what houses are built from Oregonian 08/21/2008 10:36quote: they say that after 20 years the creazote evaporates and the sleepers become less harmful.
They say that you can drink vinegar if you drink a glass of soda first.
—————————————————
try it. Nikifor 21-08-2008 15:42

They drink vinegar in sips, and their health only improves.

next door there is an unfinished dacha. all made from old sleepers. It has been standing for 30 years without windows, ceiling or roof.
Apparently this is one of the reasons

Surgeon2005 21-08-2008 18:42

Sleepers are evil
I speak as a person who worked directly with them, on the tracks.
About the weathering of creasote - well, in 20 years, under the rain or in running water, the creasote will probably wash away. Almost whole .
And what is sold is usually out of the way, worn out. They are also covered with waste, diesel fuel, and other rubbish.

You say it stinks, out of habit, you wear it for a day, and the next day your face and hands look like they’ve been burned.

Petrus 29-08-2008 06:32

And one of my friends built a house from sleepers

Surgeon2005 29-08-2008 13:16

In fact, there are untreated sleepers.
Rare, but also expensive. Or you need to have very successful acquaintances.

Personally, I have never seen this, but I know what happens

Serjant 29-08-2008 13:39

so at any sawmill..

Surgeon2005 29-08-2008 13:47quote:Originally posted by Serjant:
and is it called sawn timber??:
so at any sawmill..

No no no
By the way, sawn timber of this size is also rare, and is usually 6 meters long.

And sleepers are, in general, also timber, but of certain sizes. It’s just that they come out normal from under the saw, they are impregnated later, sometimes even during link assembly. This is where you can have an unsaturated marriage for free.
According to rumors.

Sportsman 29-08-2008 15:32

screw the sleepers!

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Littleone 2009-2012 > Family matters > Country theme > sleeper log house..SOS!!!

View full version: log house made of sleepers..SOS!!!

24.10.2011, 18:51

please advise what to do!
The frame of the house was built by my father in the 90s (when there was no money or materials) from sleepers, now (when a lot of money has been spent on completion and finishing) I don’t know what to do with it because of the smell from the sleepers:008:
It looks like they covered the inside with film, then lined it with clapboard... it still stinks, there is no money to demolish it and build a new one
Maybe there is some solution????????

In addition to the smell, the evaporation of creosote is EXTREMELY HARMFUL for health.

If you don’t demolish it, then at least reduce the emission of VOCs inside the house - shingles, thick plaster, gypsum board.
But even with these measures, most likely the concentration of phenol will be significantly higher than the maximum permissible concentration, especially in summer.

24.10.2011, 19:41

Of course, that’s what worries me... if it were just the smell...

24.10.2011, 20:34

24.10.2011, 21:47

This creosote is 100% demolition.

24.10.2011, 21:48

I don’t want to upset you, but in a good way - demolished. Creosote is not a very useful thing. Sleepers are impregnated with it under pressure, to a decent depth - that is, there is a lot of it there.
Even if you somehow manage to insulate from the inside, the outside on a hot day will still not be very good..

You can only get rid of the smell by completely sealing the walls - both outside and inside. What will this stand for? financial investments and forces, and without a guarantee - one can only guess.

It might be cheaper to demolish it. You still can’t buy health later.

plus! don't risk your health!

This creosote is 100% demolition.

1
everything has already been said above
it's poison! and the first category:ded:
I wouldn’t live in the house for any price... cancer is guaranteed and damage to the cornea, do you need it?
THIS is definitely more expensive:ded:

from Wikipedia:

Creosote (French créosote) is a colorless (sometimes yellowish or yellow-green), flammable, sparingly soluble in water, oily liquid with a strong odor and pungent taste, obtained from wood and coal tar. It is a mixture of phenols, mainly guaiacol and cresols. Soluble in water, alcohol, ether. Poisonous.

Toxic effect
Acts similar to phenols, but has a weaker effect on nervous system; increases skin sensitivity to light. Skin contact with creosote leads to the appearance pink spots, papules, warty growths, strong pigmentation, increased keratinization of the skin. The disease is especially acute in sunny days. Those working on the impregnation of sleepers with creosote very quickly developed such a severe burn on the face (especially the cheeks and nose), forearms and neck that they were forced to stop work after 0.5-1 hour. In mild cases, pigmentation appeared after 1-3 days, in more severe ones - peeling and prolonged pigmentation. At the same time, 60% of workers experienced photophobia and lacrimation; in a small number of cases - damage to the cornea (with prolonged action - staining). Hyperkeratoses and warty growths caused by creosote can develop into skin cancer, metastasizing to the lymph glands and distant organs. Apparently, for cancer to appear, creosote requires long time. According to recent studies, creosote is considered a potential carcinogen. In this regard, since 2003, the unlicensed use of creosote has been prohibited in EU countries.

Marina_it

25.10.2011, 15:57

I agree with the forum members, don’t risk your health (and most importantly, the health of your children!!!) and save money for new house, or sell (although, in my opinion, this will not be very fair to the buyer). In this situation, saving and living in such a house is not only unwise, it is dangerous!

My mother grew up in such a house, my grandmother lived until her death, although she died of cancer. BUT, many families lived in the house (barracks), no particular morbidity or mortality was noticed, some grannies are now 90 and they all live in these barracks. The only thing is that this house didn’t “stink”, I don’t know, maybe everything has weathered over time.:009: The inside of the house was plastered and painted with water-based emulsion.

1
My grandfather also built such a house, before the war. lived there until he was 92, and his grandmother until she was 89. They died of heart problems.

Hallucination

25.10.2011, 16:49

Our neighbors' house in the country house was built from sleepers more than 40 years ago. The owner died a long time ago and I know that it was not from cancer, and he drank a lot. The owner died this year from a heart attack, she was old and recent years 20 she almost always lived in the country.
She tried to sell the house for several years, but without success. Of course, it’s unpleasant to realize, but maybe the devil is not so terrible.

25.10.2011, 16:59

No, of course it’s not all that scary...
There are people who get drunk to the point of bestiality and smoke like locomotives - and yet they die at an advanced age not at all from cirrhosis or lung cancer. But are you sure that you or your children will be just as lucky?
And whatever one may say, the general environmental situation is worse from year to year, general health is not at all like that of grandparents.

But fact is fact. Creosote is a very harmful substance and there is such a quantity of it in sleepers that there is no need to talk about any “permissible concentrations”. Sleepers are intended to lie on railway tracks, and not to build houses from them...
Getting rid of the smell is very difficult. Young children are in the first risk category.

I’m not a fan of “environmental friendliness”; I don’t go around with banners about the dangers of polystyrene foam, mineral wool and smallpox :)
But a house made of sleepers is only due to complete hopelessness and lack of alternatives.

Hallucination

25.10.2011, 17:11

Marina_it

25.10.2011, 17:26

There is no need to turn the tables on my children and me, remember to yourself. I don’t have such a problem, the author has it and it’s up to her to decide what to do with the house. I would sell it in the cold season, when the smell is minimal.

This is, of course, like last option, but, I repeat, this will not be entirely fair to buyers:fifa:

25.10.2011, 19:15

Yes, well, what are you talking about, sell it in cold weather... the smell is the same in both cold and hot weather...
We’ll be working on options for demolition, but there’s still a huge veranda + 2nd floor... it’s just some kind of disaster, the place is good, that’s why I don’t want to sell,
Maybe someone has come across this - is it possible to disassemble the log house itself and leave the veranda (the same area as a house?)

Arishka_LAV

25.10.2011, 22:44

Don't make up nonsense.

Why not simply plaster both the façade and the inside - after all, the plaster will practically not let in the smell of creosote..... After all, there are such barracks made of sleepers all over Siberia and people live like that.
Or, as an option, there are now technologies for laying foam on external walls it also insulates and seals - but it’s not a fact that all these activities will bring 100% results, and it’s not a cheap task to stretch the mesh and plaster all the walls, and I think there’s another layer. not less than 30 mm.
But it’s not impossible - I don’t remember the ratio of lime, cement and sand - and then 2 good plasterers and a concrete mixer for a couple of days.....
Or, as an option for mastic, moisture insulators - they will not let in 200% odor - but that’s the price...
here you need to sit down and calculate what is more profitable to insulate the sleepers or demolish and build a new house.

Sale - well, my opinion You can’t drown an awl in a bag.

25.10.2011, 23:04

Our house is made of sleepers, nothing smells in it, neither in the heat nor in the cold.
Don't make up nonsense.
How did you isolate it and what did you treat it with?

Arishka_LAV

25.10.2011, 23:50

things smell and smell after the dacha...
and how did you isolate it and what did you treat it with? Well, of course I sympathize...:005:
I know what sleepers smell like (we once sawed up the ones that were lying in the yard)
Maybe your dacha less years and therefore…
Our house is already thirty years old.
We've had it for 8 years and I never remember the smell!
Inside there is plasterboard and wallpaper, double-glazed windows with slopes and trim. There is clapboard on the outside; this year they also put siding on it.

Barbarossa

25.10.2011, 23:53

26.10.2011, 00:24

It's a shame it's harmful...

How to get rid of creosote smell!!!

I love the smell of sleepers. I would buy it :)
oooh, I just melt from this smell. On the subway I sniff the tunnel like a dog: love:
I lived in such a house for 7 years, then it was sold. But the house was built in the late 50s, and is still in excellent condition. There was never a smell while we lived there. No matter what complex finishing the house was not subjected to damage and was sold for decent money at the time.

27.10.2011, 18:10

27.10.2011, 19:46

oh, maybe I should really try plastering, at least it will be enough for a couple of years while we save money
You would know here www.forumhouse.ru (http://www.forumhouse.ru)

28.10.2011, 18:04

thank you very much, I registered

I wrote to you either plaster or fill it with foam for pouring and insulating the facade and it’s cheap (relatively) and cheerful.
Look at new materials - insulating mastics, for example - almost all of them do not allow odors to pass through.
And I wrote - don’t read it, or something - calculate the price first - maybe it will be more profitable to make a new one.

Polyurethane is an infusible thermosetting plastic with a pronounced cellular structure. Only 3% of its volume is occupied hard material, forming a frame of ribs and walls. This crystalline structure gives the material mechanical strength. The remaining 97% of the volume is occupied by cavities and pores filled with fluorochloromethane gas with extremely low thermal conductivity, and the proportion of closed pores reaches 90-95%
Since the deposition itself occurs in liquid state, and foaming the material takes 6-10 seconds, creating strong and durable adhesion to any material - be it metal, concrete, brick or glass. The result is a seamless thermal insulation that does not require any fasteners, capable of bearing the load even from subsequent finishing.
The 21st century is in the yard - this material will definitely kill the smell and solve the heat problem in the house at the same time.
But once again, ECONOMY decides.

29.10.2011, 20:24

Thank you very much, I think it’s still many times cheaper than disassembling 2 -storey building 5 by 4 and build a new one

You're welcome - in fact, I think someone has already done something like this, try looking at the city of masters
There are a lot of professionals there and practically no amateurs.

It’s a pity that it’s harmful.. I love the smell of sleepers. I would buy it :)

I asked around among dacha experts, they all give roughly the same advice as here! You can live, you don’t have to break things! And I also remembered the song from the movie “The roadside grass sleeps, sleeps where the trains rush to the ocean along the rails...” “Your railway house, In my opinion, it gives a lot of ideas on the topic of railways!

and the chimney is insulated with asbestos for sure...
However, many prove that domestic asbestos is safe.

01.11.2011, 23:28

As an option, a mixture of cement and sand is cheap and cheerful - throw it on a metal mesh. and will last a long time and will hold any smell. Just modern materials far from cheap.
What do you think - we have clapboard upholstered inside - should we remove the clapboard or should we plaster over it? (I’m probably asking a stupid question) or rip it off? The smell has probably ingrained itself forever...

My eyes became like those of the cat on your ava))))) HOW can I tell you 100%, I can’t see.
HYPOTHETICALLY: 100% I would remove the paneling further underneath it what????????????? sleepers right away?????
if immediately sleepers then sleepers or - on top with film-forming mastic or at least film - on a stapler...... and then mesh and plaster...... But again, you need to embroider everything, the walls and the ceiling - and the floor, too. you need to insulate the walls 100% i.e.
insulate the joints of the wall and roof. and gender. So that the smell doesn't go anywhere. As an option, you can leave the embroidered sleepers for the winter………. Perhaps they will blow out at least a little bit.
At least the sleepers that have been lying on the street for me personally for about 10 years do not smell at all.
I would start with
1. opened the walls outside and inside in 1 - 2 places
2. determined what condition the sleepers were in
3. calculate the amount of work.
4. I would ventilate the sleepers in winter.
5. Already in the spring I decided to do something or not.

And once again I will repeat the CITY of craftsmen - try asking there - perhaps someone has encountered such a problem.
My garage is on sleepers and there is no smell either. Everything has disappeared a long time ago. It’s strange that the sleepers, which are covered with clapboard and something else, cannot be ventilated - i.e. USE passive methods struggle.

How can you get rid of the unpleasant smell from sleepers?

We bought used wooden sleepers to build a garage. How can you get rid of a specific smell?

I wouldn’t like to upset you too much, but apparently I have to.

The smell of creosote (this is the composition that is used to impregnate sleepers) cannot be removed by anything.

The fact is that the impregnating composition does not lose its properties for more than fifty years.

Sleepers that are laid under the canvas railway, continue to emit a fetid odor even after 20 years of lying under open air(I just haven’t seen any sleepers that are even older).

You don’t have many options; if you tightly cover the sleepers with some kind of polyethylene-based material, you won’t feel the smell of creosote, but the smell of mold will come (the sleepers will stop “breathing”, or rather the wall made of them).

The second option (by the way, it almost works, although the smell is a little noticeable), fill the shingles inside your garage and add plaster on top of the shingles (namely shingles, not mesh for plaster, and add to the solution a large number of clay mixed with sawdust).

A house made of sleepers - how to remove the smell?

On top you can have sheets of drywall on the frame, naturally.

A friend of mine used this method, they plastered together, there was practically no smell, the room was for work, not residential.

Well, at the end I’ll add even more terrible information, creosote contains phenol, this smell slowly kills a person, phenol causes cancer, creosote is fatal.

A friend in the village, in a shed made of sleepers, all the chickens died, and the raspberry bushes that grew near the shed made of sleepers withered.

There is only one conclusion: it is better to park your car than to build a garage from used sleepers soaked in creosote.

In order to eliminate the smell of creosote, which is what the sleepers are actually treated with, you need to make sure that the surface of the sleeper is covered with something that prevents all this nasty stuff from evaporating.

I once tried to whitewash the sleepers with lime, which was still slaking, but in the first layer I only painted over the sleepers a little, and the second one (to everyone’s surprise) removed the smell a little. So I think that if you try to completely whitewash the sleeper, you might be able to remove most the smell it exudes, although this is hardly possible to do completely.

All travelers are well aware that railway stations and railways have their own, incomparable aroma. Feeling this smell, you can mentally transport yourself to distant countries and foreign cities. But how is this aroma formed? You will find out the answer from the article.

The smell of sleepers

The smell of sleepers, beloved by many people since childhood, is inherent in every station. This aroma attracts many people, evoking pleasant associations and memories in their minds. The smell comes from the cresote that is used to impregnate the sleepers. It is thanks to cresot that sleepers can be protected from corrosion and destruction.

Cresote is extremely toxic. However, you should not be afraid: inhaling it does not lead to addiction and does not affect your health. The substance has a carcinogenic effect only if taken orally. Cresot can only be sold under a special license.

The smell of ozone and pine forest

There is a version that the smell inherent in train stations and the subway is formed due to a combination of ozone, which is released by the contact rail when high voltage, and brake fluid.

There is another version, filled with romance. Many argue that the aroma of sleepers is due to the pine resin they contain. Well, being in a coniferous forest evokes pleasant associations for any person, which also extend to railways.

Ventilation features

Engineers working in the subway believe that the aroma inherent in the subway is due to the peculiarities ventilation system. A significant contribution to the formation of aroma is made by the finishing materials used in the arrangement of stations. In subway conditions, this smell can persist for a very long time.

Whatever the explanation for the specific aroma of the railroad, for many people it causes Nice memories. This smell is associated with adventure, discovery and unforgettable encounters. If you feel like you can literally smell the train station right now, it may be that you haven't traveled in too long and it's time to hit the road!

Today you can often find a house made of sleepers. Not everyone knows how to remove the smell, which is quite noticeable in such a building. In this article we will discuss this issue and some others regarding sleeper housing.

House made of sleepers

Nowadays, when apartments in multi-storey buildings are expensive, and plots of land are even more expensive, people try in every possible way to save on building materials. Construction own home not an exception. For example, families that live near railroads often build houses from railroad sleepers.

Both new and used sleepers are used for these purposes. Unfortunately, not everyone thinks about the question: is this housing construction option harmful or not, because the material is quite cheap, and the shape of the beams greatly simplifies the process of building a house.

Important! One of the most important questions that should be asked even before building such housing is how to get rid of the smell of sleepers in the house? With this approach, you will greatly simplify your life and quickly be able to arrange your family nest cozy and comfortable.

Advantages and disadvantages of a house made of sleepers

In any case, you need to know all the advantages and disadvantages of such housing, so that later you do not regret the work done, the money and time spent.

High level of heat capacity

IN winter frosts Such a building warms up very quickly and retains heat for a long time. In the summer heat, the inside of the house is always cool and comfortable.

Durability

Sleepers are made primarily from pine or other softwood. Thanks to the even trunk of trees, their processing is greatly simplified.

• Pine is a soft species.
• It is moisture resistant.
• Has a homogeneous structure.
• Doesn't crack.
• Has great strength.
• Not subject to rotting.
• Retains all its properties for a very long time.

All of the listed characteristics of wood are considered an advantage of railway sleepers as a material for building a house.

Antiseptic impregnation

A special composition of creosote, which is used to impregnate sleepers, has a strong antiseptic effect. Thanks to this treatment, the service life of the sleepers is maximized. It is believed that a house built from sleepers and covered with plaster on both sides can survive more than one generation. He is not afraid of fungus, rodents or insects.

What is creosote?

It is a mixture that consists of various phenols and aromatized carbons. It is extracted from wood and coal tar using caustic solutions of alkali and sulfuric acid. Therefore, creosote has enough specific smell.

The last advantage is the most significant drawback houses made of sleepers. Since creosote is a strong toxic, carcinogenic substance that can significantly worsen human health. And naturally, it is for this reason that the question will bother you: “a house made of sleepers - how to remove the smell?”

The effect of impregnation on human health or what are the disadvantages of a house made from sleepers?

When staying in a creosote-impregnated room for a long time, a person may experience the following symptoms of deteriorating health:

• Constant headache.
• Development of liver disease.
• Formation and rapid growth of cancer cells.
• Nervous system disorder.
• Breathing problems, asthma.
• Chronic skin diseases, allergies.

Important! Creosote, if it comes into contact with the skin, causes burns. Its vapors that are formed in warehouses wooden sleepers at high temperatures, can also cause burns.

In addition to being harmful to human health, impregnated sleepers are highly flammable. Such houses burn down in a fire in 15-20 minutes.

Important! In 2003, after a study of the harm of creosote on human health, in the countries of the European Union this substance was prohibited for use in civil engineering.

You can hear a lot of objections from people that their grandparents used to live in such houses, and everything was in order. Part of the answer to such statements lies in the method of wood processing. When making sleepers, they can be impregnated superficially (to a depth of 5-10 mm) and through the through method (under pressure to the entire depth of the beam).

By using surface-impregnated sleepers to build a house, and ensuring the room has good ventilation, the harmful effects of creosote are minimized. But the minimum is not complete absence. In the heat, you will constantly smell the unpleasant smell of harmful impregnation. Therefore, whether or not to buy sleepers to build your own home is up to you to decide.

How to get rid of the smell of sleepers in the house?

If you have built a house from railroad logs or are planning to do so, then keep the highlighting to a minimum. harmful substances and get rid of the smell of sleepers in the following ways:

• Treat the sleepers with clean cement diluted in water. Its consistency should correspond to thick sour cream. Apply the mixture with a brush, carefully rubbing it into the grooves and crevices.
• Finish the inside of the house using metal or wooden frame drywall.
• Between the frame and sleepers or between the frame and finishing material, lay a layer of high-quality vapor barrier, airtight material.
• Cover the internal and external sleeper partitions, ceilings and floors with film. All structures through which leakage of harmful substances is possible must be hermetically sealed.

Important! Polyethylene film fiberglass reinforced or foil-foamed polyethylene are fairly reliable and cheap options construction vapor barrier. Conventional greenhouse film is also suitable for this purpose, but it quickly becomes unusable.

• Eliminate other ways for harmful fumes to enter your home. All joints between door and window blocks must be filled out at least construction foam. Traditional tow will not help much in this case.

Important! The integrity of the vapor barrier should not be violated by sockets, switches and other electrical wiring elements.

• Complete vapor barrier turns the house into an airtight structure. Having completed all the procedures, you will minimize the degree of penetration of unpleasant odors and harmful substances into living rooms, but you will lose important property wooden walls– their “breathing”. To ensure air exchange and remove excess moisture, it is necessary to consider and ensure ventilation of the premises. Rooms should have adjustable openings through which Fresh air: micro ventilation devices, vents, windows. There should be exhaust ducts in bathrooms and kitchens. This way, you will establish a favorable microclimate in the house and be able to get rid of the smell in the house from sleepers.

How to build a house from sleepers yourself?

If, after reading all the information above, you still have not abandoned the construction of housing from sleepers, then the following recommendations will be useful to you during construction work:

1. The construction of each room begins with the foundation. As a rule, sleeper houses are built columnar foundation. But if you are planning to make a basement under the building, then the best option The strip foundation will be poured.
2. Should be covered with waterproofing top part foundation before laying the frame. To do this, you need to coat the concrete with melted bitumen mastic, and lay several pieces of roofing felt on it.
3. Next comes the laying of the first row of sleepers. They lie flat with the wide side. For the bottom row, it is best to choose the heaviest sleepers, for example, wood completely impregnated with creosote. The dressing is carried out with a tenon connection.
4. You need to lay insulation on the first crown. Moss, jute or tow can act as insulation.
5. After this, the second row of sleepers is laid edgewise with the narrow side.
6. Fastening occurs using a dowel method. To do this, holes are drilled for wooden pins that will hold the sleepers at a distance of 60 centimeters from the ends on opposite sides of the log.

Important! Installation of the structure can be carried out without laying insulation. The seams are subsequently sealed polyurethane foam. Fastening the rows can be done using 200 mm staples and nails.

1. It is worth selecting the same parts for each row. They will depend on geometric parameters and sizes of sleepers.
2. Using a level or plumb line during laying, the vertical direction inside is checked. Irregularities in the external walls are hidden using façade finishing.
3. Corner fastening of wooden sleepers is carried out in the same way brickwork- using a special dressing and staples.
4. Window and door openings in the partitions are vertically filled with 50 mm boards or installed sleepers. The cracks are eliminated using tow or polyurethane foam.

Important! Internal partitions It's better to make it from regular wood. In this case, you will have a warm and dry house made of sleepers.

The sense of smell is a complex system body, based on subtle sensations. Each body's predilection for any smell has its own medical explanation. Toxic substances that make many people feel better and go into a state of relaxation, we canmeet on the street, at home, and at work. For example, the smell of gasoline, kerosene, ammonia.

What do sleepers and a train station smell like?

One smell that I loved from childhood became the smell that is inherent in all railway stations. Many people have no idea why this The aroma is so inviting and leaves a pleasant mark on the subconscious. This aroma comes from the impregnation of the sleepers - creosote, with which the sleepers are not susceptible tocorrosion. This substance is also toxic, but in small quantities it is not addictive and is absolutely safe. But according to research andconfirmation that creosote is a carcinogen, it began to be produced and sold in many EU countries with special permission- licenses.

But there is an opinion among station and metro workers that a pleasant and even, one might say, “magical” smell comes from a burning brake liquid and ozone, which is released at high voltage on the contact rail.

There is another suggestion for the pleasant aroma of railway stations. This opinion is more typical of romantics. They claim that this smell comes from sleepers because of the resin, since the resin gives the aroma of pine needles. And everyone knows what a coniferous forest smells like and what sensations it leaves in the body. person.

Metro engineers, in turn, are confident that the smell that attracts the olfactory receptors comes from the ventilation. And the smell of finishing materials, they claim, are preserved for a very long period of time.

But whatever the explanation for such a pleasant smell of sleepers at railway stations, this “bouquet” of aromas merges into one, which affects the physiological system of a person and leaves a pleasant shade in his memory. Without knowing the true reason, a person's mind is foreverretains in his memory the smell of a road, a move, a journey and something new.