Only by way of a descriptive analysis of every kind of wall can hopefully to assess the differences of each.
Flagstone Retaining Walls: Flagstone has been around since the dawn of time and useful for everything. They were found to be plentiful in the mountain regions and carried around since they were so flat and an easy task to stack. Quickly stacked by homeowners to keep any garden clear of livestock, they became permanent parts of any farm or ranch near enough to use them.
Click for info found the bigger stones and soon, especially in Europe and THE UK, they were being used to construct buildings and also castles. Manufactured from sandstone, a sedimentary stone, they were easily shaped however necessary. Where the larger stones were shaped and useful for retaining walls, the structures could possibly be quite sturdy and virtually indestructible.
Segmental Retaining Walls: These retaining wall systems are manufactured by using solid, high density concrete blocks in a variety of manners. Whether using interlocking pins, bars, or lips formed on the trunk edge of the block, they are all made to withstand the stresses required of a retaining wall. This can be a only thing these were designed to do.
Demanding specifications have already been formulated by each manufacturer through rigorous testing to produce systems that won't fail if installed properly. Such conditions as soil density, wall height, load types, back fill, drainage, etc are calculated when designing the best application for every location. It is the only true case of engineering as relates to residential retaining walls.
Concrete Block Retaining Walls: Concrete blocks have already been utilized by housing contractors to build retaining walls given that they first came out. It had been easy to hire exactly the same subcontractor who they useful for the walls of the house to generate the retaining wall. Some contractors go on it one step farther by pouring the block cavities filled with concrete. This creates a far stronger wall particularly when they put re-bar in to the block aswell. Doing a lot more than building the wall and pushing dirt in behind it is rare.
The walls created this way are good to look at and will be bricked, stuccoed or painted to match the home as needed. Unfortunately, the finished product normally does not have any drainage behind it nor packed back-fill. Many of them fail within the first five years while most of those that don't fall down form cracks that are non-repairable to say nothing of ugly.
Field Stone Retaining Walls: Field stones were first used for retaining walls for much the same reason as any other stone. These were plentiful and free. Farmers and ranchers needed to move them up from the fields so that they became natural walls. Ireland has hundreds of miles of the type walls to support the livestock. They simply unstack and re-stack sections to generate openings when needed.
Much has been done with field stone in America because they create a very natural structure despite the fact that the structural integrity cannot be measured. No testing has ever been done to supply installers with any sort of construction guidelines.
Railroad Tie Retaining Walls: Because of the regular shape, low cost, and easy accessibility, they are used by almost every installer at once or another. They have been referred to as the indegent mans retaining wall. Some very elaborate walls have been constructed by using this material, some even yet in the commercial construction arena to aid buildings.
As with all wood that contacts the bottom, it rots from the bottom contact side outward. The evidence of the rot isn't even visible until the timbers give way. Another issue may be the center of any large timber as the treatment isn't absorbed that far inside.
If there is ever an incident of availability dictating use, railroad ties will be the perfect example. The availability was only permitted because they were utilized by the railroad and removed when damaged or old. They flooded the market as an inexpensive material and the best use was for outdoor construction. Retaining wall construction was a natural fit. Only recently has the EPA considered the creosote treatment as dangerous for the surroundings.
Landscape Timber Retaining Walls: These are the round edged timbers sold by lots of the large landscape and hardware companies for used in homeowner landscaping. The amount of treatment found in these timbers is far below what's necessary for ground contact. However they are cheap and the homeowner is nearly always swayed by cost over all other considerations.
Landscape timbers could make a very pretty wall, are very easy to assemble, and will last for up to five years if they're not under any sort of pressure, including the earth behind them trying to move. Make sure you put in a lot of drainage.
If a retaining wall is in your own future, consider the options carefully accounting for durability, dependability, and overall effectiveness. Much has been done in the last 5 years to create an old style turn to the new style retaining wall materials. You could be surprised at what you find.