Selecting improper building materials can also lead to issues that we handle. Some retaining walls are built from lumber, treated lumber, or railroad ties, but these are short term solutions and not ideal. These options tend to be more of a temporary solution because these building materials rot or deteriorate over time. You can certainly get a few years of use from treated lumber or railroad ties; however, in the long run, these materials are not suitable for a sustainable, long-lasting retaining wall. Many people incorrectly use railroad ties for a retaining wall solution for erosion control to avoid using concrete or retaining wall blocks, but to install a proper retaining wall the first time you need to research design and engineer a quality wall using concrete, block, or stack stone solutions.