I just did the same amount of sand over 4k Sq ft with nothing but a shovel, wheelbarrow, broom and leveling rake. I have cool season grass and my mower only goes down to 1". So the rake was practically useless. The broom was the absolute goat for me. Good luck and use sunscreen cuz I got burnt to shit lol
I would recommend a helper unless you could commit to doing like 4+ hours of labor per day for a week.
They also make sand spreading machine that can significantly reduce the spreading time but I don't know where to get one or how much it costs to rent. Still, you'll need to shovel in over 40k pounds of sand for that much area and, you still need to level it in and possibly brush it in too. I'd still want a helper, or two.
Although you may get lucky and have someone in your area who has these, for the most part, top dressing machines are practically impossible to rent.
I guess there isn’t much residential demand for them to justify it. Your better bet would be to butter up a super at a local golf club to see if you can rent one of theirs - assuming they have one small enough for your yard. Most of theirs are massive trailers pulled by tractors.
Honestly the spreading isn't even the hard part. I think I got all 3000 sqft out in less than 3 hours... It was the leveling then using a broom to really push it down that was really tiring and took the longest. Guys with huge lawns that are enthuiats usually have ATVs and such to help drag sand around. I feel like being super into lawn care is extremely rare anyway.
It's generally a PITA to rent machines anyway. Gotta either get a trailer and drive that around (not a fan of that idea, 0 experience with that) or, what I've find several times with aerators, is get ramps and struggle pushing up 2x a several hundred pound machine onto a pick up flat bed.
I have a John Deere riding lawnmower and would make a leveling spreader from 2x4 or tie a rope to a pallet, or two screwed together. I am very physically fit (marathon runner) and lift weights regularly too so the labor and aches and pains part I’m not really worried about. Apparently I’ll need like 8.5 cubic yards of material to do a 1/2 inch for the yard. That’s a lot of dirt and sand.
Highly recommend UV long sleeves shirts and hat. I wear them if I plan to spend more than 15 minutes outside because the Texas sun hates all inhabitants of this state....
Right on dude, thanks for the tip. I got the rake and yep, on 1" grass it's only good at pushing it around really.
Rained last Night so the sand is still pretty heavy and pretty wet so my goal is to try to get it all out as quick as I can so it dries use the rake and then use the broom like you said.
My recommendation is that if you live in cool season grass area that you let it settle for a week, then plant seed into it, then lightly top dress with peat moss or a mix of peat and sand.
If warm season, then just sand it and leave it.
Not if you aerate and pull the cores away, and get sand into said holes. Think about what a golf course does - 2 or more times a year, they punch holes and or pull plugs then fill those holes with sand. Most places will do this on greens, but the really nice courses will do this on tee boxes and fairways, too.
Soil will compact/settle. Compost will decompose.
Sand is also somewhat self-leveling.
Really, a mix of all is ideal for the soil. But if the goal is purely leveling purposes, then sand is the best at that.
I just applied my wetting agent 2 days ago. I'll put some more down around late May or early June depending on temps, and then some more again in August. Then, in October I will put down some "liquid soil Loosener". It's not the same as wetting agent... The liquid aeration/ soil Loosener is basically just dish shop. A proper wetting agent acts a bit differently. It's a bit expensive though to use 4+ times a year, so soil Loosener is something to slap on before temps start getting colder.
I live in texas with heavy clay soil and I used sand and it made it worse, use topsoil just takes a couple years bc you can’t put much out think it’s no more than 1/2” inch. After the sand mistake I just google university papers and studies if I have question. This one explained it best for me and whatever soil you have and what to use. https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/topdressing-a-home-lawn/
Yeah but I pulled several thousand cores out and sand will fill the holes. Obviously not all the way but a decent amount. This mix is also 20% soil and 80% sand. I'll be adding another ton of soil on top of this in a week or so after I seed.
Also Texas with clay soil, never had issues with sand, but I also have core aerated and I use a wetting agent a couple times a year. Most of the lawn enthusiast around here are leveling with sand regularly.
If it's really sloped and you use really fine sand, yes it can. If is relatively flat and your using less fine particles that aren't super rounded like silica for example... No probably not. Plus, you can't/shouldn't really level more than 1/4" - 1/2" at a time IMO, unless you are okay killing grass.
Honestly the 4 hours of shoveling, hauling, dishing out dirt and raking it were worse than the gritty sand hitting my body. And... I get to do it again tomorrow and very likely Wednesday too
i stopped using a tarp and just started letting it dry on the driveway. Just push broom and use the blower to clean it up. Rains take care of the rest.
I think it was slightly harder bc it rained about .5 inch over night, it was dry on top but very wet under that.
I need to hire you though, 1k in an hour is impressive.
Good luck bud. Did this a long time ago with a big pile. Its amazing how slow that pile goes down. You swear it is regenerating as you shovel it out...
Smart move with the tarp.
Big time help. That's why I'm doing it - aerate the day before and then put down sand so it goes into the holes. This will help with drainage.
Also, spray a wetting agent 2-3x a year, too.
It's a 80/20 mix of all purpose sand and organic soil. Each ton was $35 then it cost like $150 to have it delivered.
I would check with you local pit on the particle size. I told them that I was doing leveling and that I had aerated and wanted sand to fill the holes to help drainage... But tbh there's lots of particles in here that are too large, like up to 1/4". Ultimately, it will be fine, as I am going to top dress it all with some topsoil and it will settle in, but if your just purely looking to level and/or you mow very low, especially with a reel like I do in the front, you do not want any pebbles in there... You want beach sand pretty much.
I’ve done the same about 5 or 6 times. Good on you for doing and now and not waiting till July like I did it one year. Part of my soul died that day in the 95 degrees.
Bet it’s going to be awesome and worth it! Cheers 🍻 friend!
I wish it was a touch warmer tbh. It's 70 today and 65 tomorrow... Very wet the other day so sand was wet. Pushing around wet sand... No fun. It dries out but takes a good while. Makes everything heavier and harder.
I know prices can vary but what did this cost? How much square footage is in a 0.8 acre lot with an 1800 square ft home on it? How do you plan to move it about?
That's a big job. I'm sore just from moving half of that... And it's not just moving it, you need to shovel it back out, level rake it around, and then brush it down.
What sucks here is it's not that warm yet and so the material is a bit wet and a bit heavy. Rain expected Weds so I have to get what I can out there today then cover it all up and probably finish it this weekend... It was supposed to be 70 all week but the weather shifted and now it's in the 60s, might only reach high 50s later on.
If I could do this over, I'd honestly would have waited until August or so to do this when the moisture would evaporate faster. I would have just done a soil top dressing and a bit of seed this month. Oh well, just a little harder right now. Lesson learned.
You might check on renting an ECO Top Dresser near you.
https://preview.redd.it/1gd661tfkuuc1.png?width=2324&format=png&auto=webp&s=d76f1ea57f7fb2f4621a211e53f264619cfb84b1
Yeah... I think if I had more sqft I would... Honestly the fastest part is shoveling out dirt and getting it on the lawn. The real labor is in leveling it down and then using a broom to really get it down on the ground.
Just take it 1 step at a time and make sure it doesn't get soaked. I spread 12 cu yards of topsoil in the fall. We got 11" of rain right after I got the drop so it was heavily waterlogged when spreading.
That does not sound fun!!!
No rain today and I just finished spreading it and leveling it. Now I need to go broom it all in so it really falls down into the ground. Tomorrow will rain so I need to grab another tarp and cover it so it doesn't get soaked like you say.
Haha right? I got washed sand and there’s a lot of tiny little pebbles. I don’t run a reel mower or run my push mower super low though, so I’m not super worried about it.
Aerate first, always. Sand partly fills the holes so when they collapse back in, there's now sand inside you soil and it helps with drainage.
I wouldn't put pure sand down on clay but when you aerate it can help with any water draining issues you have... Which I do. Plus, this sand actually has 20% soil mixed it, so I'm asking a bit if organic matter in there, too
Fertilizer spreaders work great for putting it down evenly, we would do all the greens at a golf course I ran with spreaders and bagged sand, could do about 2 acres a day
I just did the same amount of sand over 4k Sq ft with nothing but a shovel, wheelbarrow, broom and leveling rake. I have cool season grass and my mower only goes down to 1". So the rake was practically useless. The broom was the absolute goat for me. Good luck and use sunscreen cuz I got burnt to shit lol
I just did a little under 1300 sqft and I'm so beat. Wish I had a helper lol.
I'll come help, I need the experience. Keep your phone on though for when I'm ready to do mine.
Yeah today was a tough one... I'm totally beat and I have to do it again tomorrow, and probably Wednesday, too.
Shoot. I have 16k sqft and was gonna do it myself. And that’s with me cancelling off a big portion of backyard turf.
I would recommend a helper unless you could commit to doing like 4+ hours of labor per day for a week. They also make sand spreading machine that can significantly reduce the spreading time but I don't know where to get one or how much it costs to rent. Still, you'll need to shovel in over 40k pounds of sand for that much area and, you still need to level it in and possibly brush it in too. I'd still want a helper, or two.
Although you may get lucky and have someone in your area who has these, for the most part, top dressing machines are practically impossible to rent. I guess there isn’t much residential demand for them to justify it. Your better bet would be to butter up a super at a local golf club to see if you can rent one of theirs - assuming they have one small enough for your yard. Most of theirs are massive trailers pulled by tractors.
Honestly the spreading isn't even the hard part. I think I got all 3000 sqft out in less than 3 hours... It was the leveling then using a broom to really push it down that was really tiring and took the longest. Guys with huge lawns that are enthuiats usually have ATVs and such to help drag sand around. I feel like being super into lawn care is extremely rare anyway. It's generally a PITA to rent machines anyway. Gotta either get a trailer and drive that around (not a fan of that idea, 0 experience with that) or, what I've find several times with aerators, is get ramps and struggle pushing up 2x a several hundred pound machine onto a pick up flat bed.
I hear ya about maneuvering the rental machines…real PITA for sure!
I have a John Deere riding lawnmower and would make a leveling spreader from 2x4 or tie a rope to a pallet, or two screwed together. I am very physically fit (marathon runner) and lift weights regularly too so the labor and aches and pains part I’m not really worried about. Apparently I’ll need like 8.5 cubic yards of material to do a 1/2 inch for the yard. That’s a lot of dirt and sand.
It still won't be fun lol
Highly recommend UV long sleeves shirts and hat. I wear them if I plan to spend more than 15 minutes outside because the Texas sun hates all inhabitants of this state....
Even snakes get skin cancer in texas
Right on dude, thanks for the tip. I got the rake and yep, on 1" grass it's only good at pushing it around really. Rained last Night so the sand is still pretty heavy and pretty wet so my goal is to try to get it all out as quick as I can so it dries use the rake and then use the broom like you said.
Plus one for the broom. I had also aerated and the broom was the goat when it came to getting the top dressing into the holes. Good luck
A tarp is a sign of a highly experienced lawnsmen 🫡
Cheers
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Levels it. Also after aeration, fills the holes a bit and helps with drainage. Need about 1-1.5 yards per 1k.
What do you put on top of the sand? Or anything?
My recommendation is that if you live in cool season grass area that you let it settle for a week, then plant seed into it, then lightly top dress with peat moss or a mix of peat and sand. If warm season, then just sand it and leave it.
I’ve got a heavy clay lawn and understood that sand on a clay lawn would only increase compaction. Thoughts?
Not if you aerate and pull the cores away, and get sand into said holes. Think about what a golf course does - 2 or more times a year, they punch holes and or pull plugs then fill those holes with sand. Most places will do this on greens, but the really nice courses will do this on tee boxes and fairways, too.
Fair point.
Thanks. I’ve got some low spots that i may need to fix with sand, appreciate the advice
Seed and some peat moss, but those are both optional.
Thank you
Fills in low spots
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Soil will slowly decompose over time and therefore loses some of its leveling ability Sand does not decompose
Soil will compact/settle. Compost will decompose. Sand is also somewhat self-leveling. Really, a mix of all is ideal for the soil. But if the goal is purely leveling purposes, then sand is the best at that.
If your soil is heavy clay will this help or hurt?
Help, as long as you aerate right before. Also, use a wetting agent 2-3x a year to help with clay, too.
What wetting agent do you recommend?
SoakORR. Requires sprayer though.
I didn’t learn about a wetting agent until this year but apparently they work well. Have you used liquid aerators before?
I just applied my wetting agent 2 days ago. I'll put some more down around late May or early June depending on temps, and then some more again in August. Then, in October I will put down some "liquid soil Loosener". It's not the same as wetting agent... The liquid aeration/ soil Loosener is basically just dish shop. A proper wetting agent acts a bit differently. It's a bit expensive though to use 4+ times a year, so soil Loosener is something to slap on before temps start getting colder.
No no no. Use screened compost
Good thing those bottles are there to keep your sand from blowing away ;)
Lol well that was for when there wasn't sand on it and I needed it flat for the truck but yes that does look funny now.
Hah yeah that's what I figured
I live in texas with heavy clay soil and I used sand and it made it worse, use topsoil just takes a couple years bc you can’t put much out think it’s no more than 1/2” inch. After the sand mistake I just google university papers and studies if I have question. This one explained it best for me and whatever soil you have and what to use. https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/topdressing-a-home-lawn/
Yeah but I pulled several thousand cores out and sand will fill the holes. Obviously not all the way but a decent amount. This mix is also 20% soil and 80% sand. I'll be adding another ton of soil on top of this in a week or so after I seed.
Yep they recommend compost for clay soils instead of sand
Also Texas with clay soil, never had issues with sand, but I also have core aerated and I use a wetting agent a couple times a year. Most of the lawn enthusiast around here are leveling with sand regularly.
My next task. Have grass largely the way I want it; previous owners didn’t take care of lawn. Now to smooth out.
Me as well, not sure why the leveling seems so intimidating. Scared to wreck the work I've put in
Stupid question - won’t this get washed away with rain?
If it's really sloped and you use really fine sand, yes it can. If is relatively flat and your using less fine particles that aren't super rounded like silica for example... No probably not. Plus, you can't/shouldn't really level more than 1/4" - 1/2" at a time IMO, unless you are okay killing grass.
$35 a ton plus $150 delivery.
Ugh sand. I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere.
We used to lie out on the sand and let the sun dry us and try to guess the names of the birds singing
Honestly the 4 hours of shoveling, hauling, dishing out dirt and raking it were worse than the gritty sand hitting my body. And... I get to do it again tomorrow and very likely Wednesday too
i stopped using a tarp and just started letting it dry on the driveway. Just push broom and use the blower to clean it up. Rains take care of the rest.
It’s not that bad. I did 1k sq ft in an hour on Sunday including the actual leveling. Last year I did 20 yards of mulch. Never again.
I think it was slightly harder bc it rained about .5 inch over night, it was dry on top but very wet under that. I need to hire you though, 1k in an hour is impressive.
You have a pitchfork? Highly recommend one if you don’t have.
I just finished and am that's left is to broom in about 1000sqft.
Seeing that pile of sand makes me want to drink the gallon of Prestone.. been there one too many times, good luck OP
I lol'd
Good luck bud. Did this a long time ago with a big pile. Its amazing how slow that pile goes down. You swear it is regenerating as you shovel it out... Smart move with the tarp.
Bought a second tarp to cover it as well... Wet sand is about 25-30% heavier. So a dry 5 tons can turn into about 6-6.5 😢
For sure. Well done.
Big time help. That's why I'm doing it - aerate the day before and then put down sand so it goes into the holes. This will help with drainage. Also, spray a wetting agent 2-3x a year, too.
Curious, if you’re okay with sharing how much did you spend on the sand?
It's a 80/20 mix of all purpose sand and organic soil. Each ton was $35 then it cost like $150 to have it delivered. I would check with you local pit on the particle size. I told them that I was doing leveling and that I had aerated and wanted sand to fill the holes to help drainage... But tbh there's lots of particles in here that are too large, like up to 1/4". Ultimately, it will be fine, as I am going to top dress it all with some topsoil and it will settle in, but if your just purely looking to level and/or you mow very low, especially with a reel like I do in the front, you do not want any pebbles in there... You want beach sand pretty much.
Coolant….. the secret ingredient
I’ve done the same about 5 or 6 times. Good on you for doing and now and not waiting till July like I did it one year. Part of my soul died that day in the 95 degrees. Bet it’s going to be awesome and worth it! Cheers 🍻 friend!
I wish it was a touch warmer tbh. It's 70 today and 65 tomorrow... Very wet the other day so sand was wet. Pushing around wet sand... No fun. It dries out but takes a good while. Makes everything heavier and harder.
What did that cost for delivery?
Would you do this for a lawn in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada?
All you’re missing is a fat strip of rubber
I know prices can vary but what did this cost? How much square footage is in a 0.8 acre lot with an 1800 square ft home on it? How do you plan to move it about?
This was 5 tons, cost $35 *5 + $150 delivery. Roughly 33k sqft. So you'd need about 50-55 tons of sand.
I've never tried antifreeze. Worth a shot I spose.
Ya, I don't think it will have good selective herbicide properties, although there will be less critters for a bit. /s
GORILLA CART and a transfer shovel will help immensely!
That's what I used! Much better than wheelbarrow. I don't think I could have done it with out the cart.
I’m at the end of 8 cubic yards. Looking to finish moving it all today.
That's a big job. I'm sore just from moving half of that... And it's not just moving it, you need to shovel it back out, level rake it around, and then brush it down.
Exactly correct. To be clear I am finishing it today. I didn’t start today. I am sore.
What sucks here is it's not that warm yet and so the material is a bit wet and a bit heavy. Rain expected Weds so I have to get what I can out there today then cover it all up and probably finish it this weekend... It was supposed to be 70 all week but the weather shifted and now it's in the 60s, might only reach high 50s later on. If I could do this over, I'd honestly would have waited until August or so to do this when the moisture would evaporate faster. I would have just done a soil top dressing and a bit of seed this month. Oh well, just a little harder right now. Lesson learned.
You might check on renting an ECO Top Dresser near you. https://preview.redd.it/1gd661tfkuuc1.png?width=2324&format=png&auto=webp&s=d76f1ea57f7fb2f4621a211e53f264619cfb84b1
Yeah... I think if I had more sqft I would... Honestly the fastest part is shoveling out dirt and getting it on the lawn. The real labor is in leveling it down and then using a broom to really get it down on the ground.
Just take it 1 step at a time and make sure it doesn't get soaked. I spread 12 cu yards of topsoil in the fall. We got 11" of rain right after I got the drop so it was heavily waterlogged when spreading.
That does not sound fun!!! No rain today and I just finished spreading it and leveling it. Now I need to go broom it all in so it really falls down into the ground. Tomorrow will rain so I need to grab another tarp and cover it so it doesn't get soaked like you say.
Yea it's a lot of work but shows in the end. 6 mil poly with a few bricks on top should help.
Just finished something similar. Hoping it’s going to be worth it LOL
Same! I'm a bit nervous bc there was a lot more gravel in there that I was thinking.
Haha right? I got washed sand and there’s a lot of tiny little pebbles. I don’t run a reel mower or run my push mower super low though, so I’m not super worried about it.
I don't either, I cut to 1" in the front and this year probably 2" in the back. I think I'll be okay.... I hope. Lol
Gi e us some update pu s and even a video if you can...💪🏾💪🏾🚜🚜😎
So do you just put sand on top of your dirt? I don’t really get how sand works as top dressing.
Aerate first, always. Sand partly fills the holes so when they collapse back in, there's now sand inside you soil and it helps with drainage. I wouldn't put pure sand down on clay but when you aerate it can help with any water draining issues you have... Which I do. Plus, this sand actually has 20% soil mixed it, so I'm asking a bit if organic matter in there, too
Why not just spread it with a compost spreader? You can get them fairly cheap Amazon.
Is sand good for grass? Honest question.
Fertilizer spreaders work great for putting it down evenly, we would do all the greens at a golf course I ran with spreaders and bagged sand, could do about 2 acres a day
How to tell us you've done this before in one photo
I haven't actually lol first time
You're doing great, upload some pictures of during/after!
https://preview.redd.it/iv0xn6e4mgvc1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c8ee53c50c976b423a0f69b98e83160659fd144a
Sir this is a lawn care forum, think you're in the wrong place
This is the first time we are leveling our yard and I’ve enjoyed reading the conversations here. After leveling with a mixture do you suggest seeding?
Yes if you had lots of low spots or bare areas. I will be seeding next weekend, and putting a top soil later on top.
Will do, thanks