Using a railway sleeper for a mantlepiece?

Gloomendoom

As has been said, an ordinary railway sleeper in your house will make it stink to high heaven. My wife was given a rustic coffee table made out an old sleeper... it's out on the patio now!

I bought a new, untreated oak sleeper from a reclamation yard for about £20. mind you, that was a while ago, but it might be worth looking around.

Just do a search on 'oak railway sleepers'

squiggles

argos sell garden sleepers

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/7133664/Trail/searchtext%3ESLEEPER.htm

Owain_Moneysaver

You could make a fake beam out of mdf and some oak planking as a surface covering.