Smooth Grey
Plain natural-grey concrete with a smooth face – the quiet standard wall.
Classic · Smooth / pigmented
Smooth Charcoal concrete sleeper
The same clean smooth face in a dark charcoal that sits with Monument and Night Sky fences.
Overview
Smooth Charcoal is a pigmented smooth sleeper. The dark face lines up with Monument, Woodland Grey and Night Sky Colorbond fences so the wall and fence read as one colour family. The face is still smooth – only the colour changes.
What the design looks like
Charcoal to near-black, modern. Surface: Even, lightly formed concrete. Finish: Smooth / pigmented.
Typical applications
- Under Monument or Night Sky Colorbond
- Street-front garden walls
- Driveway level changes
Beside a fence
The face does not hold the soil – the posts, the sleepers as a stack, the drainage and the footing do. A Smooth Charcoal wall can sit under a new Colorbond fence or a timber fence. The fence posts and the retaining posts are planned together so the finished ground level and the fence height still make sense. More on that on the under-fence section.
Standalone walls
The same sleeper is used for garden and driveway walls that do not carry a fence. Those walls still need the right posts, drainage and – where height, soil or surcharge require it – an engineer. We do not guess a maximum height from the face design.
Installation and drainage
- Same post-and-channel installation as Smooth Grey.
- Ask us to bring a sleeper sample next to your fence colour on the free site measure.
Water behind a retaining wall is a load. We plan drainage with the wall – not as an afterthought – so water can leave instead of sitting against the sleepers. The exact arrangement depends on the site.
Advantages
- Pairs with dark Colorbond frames and sheets
- Low maintenance
- Clean modern line
Things to consider
- Dark faces show dust after cutting until they weather
- Not every manufacturer stocks every length in charcoal
Maintenance
Concrete sleepers do not need oiling or painting. Wash them if they pick up dirt. Do not pile extra soil against a fence above the wall, and keep drainage outlets clear.
Related designs
Block Pattern
A regular ashlar block grid in charcoal – ordered, modern masonry.
Concrete sleeper retaining walls · Timber sleeper walls under fences · Colorbond fencing · Timber fencing
Common questions
Can a Smooth Charcoal sleeper sit under a Colorbond fence?
Yes. The sleeper face does not change how the wall and fence are set out. Posts, drainage and finished ground level still have to suit the site. See walls under fences.
Can I use it as a standalone garden wall?
Yes. Standalone walls use the same sleepers and steel posts. Height, soil and anything sitting above the wall (a driveway, a path, a building) decide whether the wall needs an engineer. We will tell you on the site visit.
Do you publish a price for this sleeper?
No. The board is only one part of the wall. Posts, excavation, drainage, access and whether a fence sits on top all change the job. We quote after a free measure.
Are the sizes fixed?
Colour and available lengths vary by manufacturer. Pigment is usually through the mix, so a chip does not flash a different core colour.
Enquire about a Smooth Charcoal retaining wall
Tell us the suburb, the level change and whether a fence sits on top. We reply with a site visit, not a catalogue price.
- 1 What you need
- 2 Details
- 3 Photos
- 4 Contact
- 5 Review
Ready for a free quote?
Send us your fence length, height and a couple of photos and we come back to you with a preliminary price or arrange a free site inspection.