Question
hi, last year i had some sleepers placed in my garden as a feature. over the winter the colour has faded from a dark brown/black to a light grey.what would be the best way to acheive the dark colour again(it also had a nice smell to it.


thanks  

Answer
I do not know of any way to restore the smell.  The color MAY be restored by matching the desired color in a high quality deck stain/sealant.

If these sleepers are what I call railroad ties (the wooden cross-members that the steel rails rest on)then they were treated by a creosote process at the lumber mill that produced them.  This process cannot be duplicated at home or refreshed each season.