Lawn Leveling Rake: How to Level a Yard and Lawn

Bumpy and uneven lawns and yards can look neat and decorative but leveled, and even lawns and yards are much more aesthetically appealing.

A lawn leveling rake can be of great help when leveling both lawn-to-be and already established lawns, regardless of the season or grass type.

Also, when leveling the yard using decorative stones, sand, or similar material, leveling rake can save plenty of time and effort.

Published: October 21, 2022.

Lawn Leveling Tools: Rakes and Rollers

When leveling yard and lawn, leveling rake allows the user to evenly spread the material over a larger area, following the terrain and if present, already established grass.

When leveling lawn-to-be or larger patches of soil around established grass, lawn rollers help compact the soil or other material being spread around.

Most lawn owners don't own a lawn roller, which is not absolutely required. However, when maintaining the lawn, a lawn leveling rake is not only used to level the lawn surface but also to spread various materials over the lawn surface more evenly - such materials may be compost, topsoil, dirt, sand, and similar.

When to Level the Lawn?

Users can try to level the lawn almost any time, but many lawn owners level their lawns when noticing bumps and hollows on their lawns, or after dethatching and scarifying the lawn and similar.

Or, the lawn can be leveled periodically, every year in order to keep it as level as possible.

Leveling Material: Dirt/Topsoil or Sand

Many people often ask should they level their lawn using topsoil/dirt or sand.

Well, there is no simple answer to this question, because there are no two exactly the same lawns...

Generally, sand can be used when leveling an already established lawn that is already flat, requiring a minimum amount of sand to be added.

And when the sand is spread, over time, it will incorporate itself into the top layer of soil, improving drainage and allowing the roots to breathe more easily.

However, if the soil is already very sandy, it is recommended to use topsoil/sand mix - sandy soil doesn't hold moisture and nutrients well and must be improved over time by adding good soil/sand mix, or sometimes just very fine topsoil.

When looking for leveling sand, go for dry, fine grit sand, like play sand or mason/mortar sand - the finer the grit, the better. Such types of sand are dry, helping the user spread them more easily and evenly and they don't contain smaller rocks, pebbles, and similar debris.

Topsoil can be used when leveling an already established lawn that features deeper and wider hollows or even cavities.

When spreading and leveling topsoil in thicker layers, be sure to also add some grass seeds and even grass fertilizer - if the topsoil is added in thicker layers, the grass below may have issues in growing through such thick layer.

In the most extreme situations, it is recommended to strip/remove the grass (roll it, for example), level the soil, and then place the grass sods back where they were.

Also, when leveling the lawn with somewhat thicker layers of topsoil, it is recommended to compact the soil using lawn rollers which may differ in size and width - their weight often can be changed by simply adding or removing ballast water.

Long Story Short: A lawn leveling rake can be of great help when establishing or when maintaining an already established lawn or when leveling a yard. A lawn leveling rake can be used to spread sand, dirt, topsoil, compost, and similar materials over the lawn surface, but also it can be used to evenly spread and level lava rocks and decorative sand over the yard, driveways, and similar surfaces.

Lawn leveling rakes can be easily made at home, but they are not expensive and may last for a long time - most of them are made using stainless steel and feature telescopic handles that are easily adjusted to suit the users' needs and preferences.