How to treat a pine retaining wall?

Lizevn

We recently installed (about 1 month ago) a pine retaining wall. Treated the "inside" with a mixture of diesel and recycled engine oil. We were told this will be the best way to stain and treat the pine. Covered the inside with geo-fabric and filled it with soil. The outside is staring to crack. Got advise that we must use decking oil and will need to do this every 6-8 months.

Is there any product that I can use to provent it from cracking further and I also don't want to do it every 6-8 months.

Thanks!

Akanksha

Hi @Lizevn,

Firstly, let me extend a warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. We're delighted to have you here, and hope you'll find it a great place for inspiring ideas and handy D.I.Y. tips and tricks.

Thanks for your question. Our resident D.I.Y. expert @EricL will be happy to assist you once he's back online later in the day. In the meantime, you may want to check out the following related discussion in case it helps: How best to colour AND protect treated pine retaining walls?

Akanksha

EricL

Hello @Lizevn

Thank you for sharing your question about your pine retaining wall. If you've had a chance to look at the discussion @Akanksha linked to, you'll find a great deal of information and recommendations. But the one that stands out for me is cleaning the surface of the retaining wall with Cabot's Deck Clean, giving it a scrub with a scrubbing brush and using your pressure washer at the lowest setting. This will prepare the surface of the retaining wall to accept the new protective coating. Please do not use too much pressure on the timber or it will splinter the surface.

There are a wide variety of products to use on your retaining wall, some will be oil-based others water-based. These coatings when used on timber will provide protection, but because the retaining wall is exposed to the weather they will eventually wear away. It's difficult to tell which one will last the longest, but putting on an extra coat will definitely help.

Here is a list of products I recommend having a look at:

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric