Lawn Top Dressing.

I have a large lawn that is mostly on clay.
In the winter it stays very wet.
I want to top dress to improve the drainage, can I use ordinary builders 'sharp sand'?

 

Easy answer, no. You are better off aerating your lawn with a hollow tine aerator, then sweeping in Turf and Lawn Top Dressing.:gnthb:

 

Is that because the sharp sand will damage the lawn?

 

Digressing slightly...

A lot of the problems with wet lawns is because of the original design. In some ways, lawns are like patios. Not all the rain that falls on them actually immediately penetrates the grass and the inevitable amount of thatch underneath.
It is of no help to those who've already laid a lawn, but it is advisable in certain conditions to design the lawn with a slight fall of between one to two inches towards the borders, also a shallow gulley between the lawn and the adjacent beds to allow surplus water to run into from both the lawn and the beds will lessen the problem.