1 Year Old Lawn - Overseeding Advice

Duggyfresh

Garden was cleared and levelled last summer with new turf over an area of circa 280m sq. 

Since then its been watered, regularly mown & fed and has generally established well - however 3x kids, football, a mad dog and a very wet winter have taken their toll and whilst still ok some areas are patchy in places . . .I 'desire' the lush lawn that I had in the summer and want to get it ready for another summer of abuse!

So far I have - 

1 - Cut it short (2.5inches) 
2 - Raked by hand (phew) with a springtine rake to remove the thatch / further expose the patchy bits
3 - Aerated with a spiked roller thingy whatsit

In numerical order what do I do next? Have ordered 10kg hardwearing seed . . .need to buy either lawn sand / top dressing / top soil / mix

Spike Again?
Apply lawn sand (on drop spreader) 
or
Apply mix of sharp sand / top dressing?
then
Apply grass seed (on drop spreader) 
Re apply another layer of sand / dressing (as appropriate) and tamp in to protect seeds?
or
Mix seeds and sand / dressing in drop spreader and apply then tamp in?
then 
Add spring fertilzer immediately or wait till seeds germinate / show

Have I missed another action out eg. raking?

Water thoroughly . . .presumably goes without saying

Online advice varies - is there a right and wrong way / order of application to maximise success?

Cheers  Chris

Borderline

Based on what you have done and what's happened so far, I recommend you spike the areas that are sparse and patchy. Sprinkle a bit of top soil preferably sieved. Then sow lawn seed into that area. Follow the instructions on the box on how much to use. Then water in or wait for the rain. 

The list is not in order, but I don't think it is necessary yet. Some of the things listed can wait until the lawn has established a bit more, maybe years. Others may have different ideas. The main priority for turf lawn is watering keeping an eye on the butted sections. They tend to be the areas that dry up the most. Brushing in some top soil will help and watering in during the late spring to early summer time will also help.

Duggyfresh

Hi Borderline - 

The garden is a year on since turfing and has knitted together fine (no issues with butted sections) - the ground has settled (clay based) but due to the amount of previous undergrowth the soil varies in places (very soggy / poor drainage at the front, dry and dense at the back) I have minimal if any weed and zero moss - I've been quick to remove any weed growth including wild grassess etc

Weirdly (or not) the majority of the patchiness is at the front where the grass got sodden due to the abnormal rain we have had - initially this area was the greenest but over time the naturally drier rear area (that also catches more of the sun throughout the day) has 'caught up' and remains the most consistent / green / dense in terms of grass with zero if minimal patchiness . . .

In an ideal world the front half probably needs core aeration and sand adding to improve the soil and balance the drainage however thats maybe OTT for its 2nd year of life. 

Just want to overseed evenly / effectively so I can re-create the uniform appearance it had when it was at its best last summer . .!

Borderline

What you describe is going to be general on-going maintenance of any lawn. Patchy grass can mean many things. Post a few photos of the problem areas so others can also see and assess.

Poor growing conditions like heavy soils/shade under or near trees and shrubs plus thatch-build up are classic issues. Thatch build up may just need you to give the areas a rake vigorously to lift the blades up and pull away dead grass that's blocking water into the soil. Sparse looking grass will need you to aerate the area with a garden fork, then brush in some sharp sand and finish off with a top dress of fine top-soil. You can also use this time to put some lawn seed down to fill in the gaps.