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The first question that must be answered is will you be "starting from scratch"?  A decision must be made to either plant within an existing lawn or to till up your lawn area so that no weeds or grasses are left living in the area to be planted.  The ideal situation is to have tilled soil for the area where you wish to establish a grass from seed. 

Above Centipede lawn after 8 weeks

Why Ideal?  Because existing plants that are directly next to (6 inches or closer) of where you are trying to establish other grass plants from seed, provide competition to your seeds by consuming sunlight & plant nutrients.  This competition by existing plants means some plants simply won't survive the additional stress imposed by these adult plants.  This is not to say you can't establish a lawn within other plants, just that it is much more difficult to do so.

First: Decide if you will till the soil (kill the existing plants by plowing up your site!) or just plant within the existing grass.

I will TILL my site and start Fresh! I will NOT TILL my site - I want to overseed my existing lawn.

(1) Mow the area low in spring or fall, remove the excess plant material - Then Sow (broadcast) your Centipede grass seeds, either last of fall or preferably in the spring on the area to be planted.  However you may want to seed in the LATE fall at the same time you use a cover crop such as ryegrass.   The Centipede seed will start germinating the following spring.

(2) Rake the area sowed with a hand rake so that scratch marks in the soil between plants allow some seeds to fall into these valleys and become covered by soil over time (from your rake action and later from rains).  Centipede seeds must have a thin soil covering to germinate (1/4 inch ideal) - They DO NOT germinate when thrown on top of the ground. Use the correct rate of seed for Centipede grass lawns.

(3) Follow your normal water, fertilizing and mowing practices for the area you have planted on a regular basis.  That's all!  Eventually - (After several months of growing season time has gone bye)-  you should have an improved, more lush and thick Centipede grass lawn.

How much seed do I need to plant?
For Centipedegrass Lawns: 
Seeding Rate: Plant 1/4 to 1 lb. per 1000 sq. ft.
Visit our www.lawngrasses.com for more about seeding rates and choices for grasses.

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(1) Till the area to be planted.  This can be done with either a garden tiller or a tractor harrow/tiller (Or even a shovel if you have a good back!).  Once the area is returned to soil, level the ground by raking or dragging something over the surface until it is smooth and level.  Now is the time to remove hills and depressions so that you have a nice smooth lawn.  This is an important step with Centipede lawns since they will be mowed at lower heights for a warm season grass.

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(2) Plant the seeds.  You can use a commercial turfgrass planter or sow the seeds by hand.  Or just as easy and much preferred, buy a broadcast seeder  (hand held models are available for $8-$30) like the one above.  Once your seeds are sowed, rake or drag the seeded area, so that as many of the seeds as possible are lightly covered (1/4 inch is ideal covering). Be sure and use the correct rate for seeding Centipede grass.

How much seed to I need to plant?
For Centipede grass Lawns 
Seeding Rate: Plant 1/4 to 1 lb. per 1000 sq. ft.
Visit our www.lawngrasses.com for more about seeding rates and choices for lawn grasses.  Keep in mind that the higher the seeding rate you plant, the faster you will achieve a fully established high plant-density lawn.

BUY YOUR CENTIPEDEGRASS SEED DIRECT
FROM SEEDLAND.com

(3) Water the area you have planted as needed.  Apply fertilizer in intervals through the growing season, and practice a regular mowing schedule.  Mowing the weeds that will grow in your new lawn area faster than the grass, allows the grass to compete better for scarce nutrients and sunlight. - Mow regular and at the correct height.

Your lawn will grow to be beautiful over time! 
If you can't wait..... consider SODDING

Quite regularly I get emails from individuals saying the following: 
"I just planted my Centipede grass two weeks ago and I don't see any grass."

--- First of all, Centipede grass can take as long as 30 days to germinate under ideal situations (adequate warm-moist soil conditions).  Some seeds germinate faster and some take months longer.  It all depends on the soil and climate for the period after you plant. Centipede grass loves hot wet weather to germinate.  That is when it will germinate the fastest.

--- Secondly, keep in mind that these plants are much like a child.  When a child is conceived it generally takes 9 months to emerge.  Same with Centipede grass, except it only takes 4-6 weeks if conditions are right. Then it starts the long process of maturing into an adult "Centi" plant (if conditions aren't right it wont even start!).  Once it has germinated and emerged, it is only a baby in the plant world.  It will be a very tiny needle looking plant, hiding under and around all the other weeds & plants that may be present in the neighborhood.