Treated Wood vs. Concrete Posts for a Three-Foot Retaining Wall

Treated Wood Advantages

• The main advantage of treated wood over concrete is that it is easier to work with. Although some basic carpentry skills are required to build a solid retaining wall out of treated wood, these skills are not as specialized as those required for working with concrete. If you make a mistake when building something out of wood, you can always take it apart and do it over. Treated wood can be fashioned into a retaining wall with little more than a circular saw, a level, a drill and some screws. Building with treated wood requires little excavation.

Treated Wood Disadvantages

• Wood that has been treated with preservatives isn't particularly healthy to work with. Particularly if you are sawing a lot of it and creating dust, you need to take precautions to avoid breathing it into your lungs. The preservatives will help treated wood to last far longer than untreated wood, but it still won't last anywhere near as long as concrete. Some people don't like the look of treated wood; it tends to have a greenish tinge that looks unnatural. Buying treated wood at a retail store can be quite expensive, particularly if you are building a long retaining wall.

Concrete Post Advantages

• Concrete's main advantage is that it can be worked with as a liquid, but is essentially a stone once it has cured. When mixed and cured properly, concrete will outlast not only you but your children and grandchildren, as well. Concrete can be mixed in a wheelbarrow for small jobs, or delivered already mixed in a truck for large jobs. This gives the do-it-yourselfer some flexibility as to how he decides to do the job. Concrete will take the shape of any form that you build for it, so you can be creative in the type of retaining wall that you choose to build.

Concrete Post Disadvantages

• Concrete requires a solid base because it is heavy and might tilt or crack if it's placed on moving soil. This means you may have to do some major excavation for your concrete posts. If you make a mistake with concrete or decide you don't like what you've done, your only choices are a sledgehammer, jackhammer or learning to live with it. If you choose to have your concrete delivered in a truck, it might have trouble accessing your work site if it's in a back yard or on a steep slope.