Hardwood Floor Refinishing Northbrook

The typical cost for refinishing hardwood floors in Chicago and nearby suburbs ranges from around $3 to $7 per square foot. It depends on details like the type of wood, current condition of your floors, and the type of finish you’re choosing.

You can use this quick formula to figure out roughly what your project might cost:

Total Square Footage × Cost per Sq. Ft. = Estimated Price

Let’s say you’re refinishing 500 sq. ft. of White Oak, using a good quality finish at about $4 per sq. ft. Your calculation would be:

500 × $4 = $2,000

For smaller rooms (around 200 sq. ft.), you’d probably pay about $600–$900. If you’re refinishing a larger area—like an entire home (around 1,000 sq. ft. or more)—the cost would typically be somewhere between $3,000–$6,000, depending on the specifics of the project.

To get a precise quote that’s tailored exactly to your floor’s condition, it’s best to set up a quick in-home visit!

The time it takes to sand and refinish your hardwood floors depends on a few things—like how big the area is, what shape the floors are in, and the finish we’re using. Here’s how it usually goes:

For smaller or medium-sized rooms (around 200–500 sq ft), the refinishing normally takes about 2–3 days. During that time, we sand the floors, apply the stain if you want it, and put on multiple coats of finish. Each coat needs time to dry before we do the next.

If you have a larger space (over 500 sq ft), refinishing could take around 4–5 days or sometimes longer. Bigger areas often need more drying time, and might involve extra steps, like detailed staining or fixing areas that need repairs.

Once we put on the final coat of finish, the floors still need some time to cure completely.

Usually, you can gently walk on the floors about a day or two after finishing. But it’s best to wait around a week before moving heavy furniture back or laying down rugs. That way, your floors have enough time to fully harden, and you get the best results.

You can walk on the floors the day after we apply the final coat, but only wearing socks—no shoes. It takes five days for the new finish to fully cure and harden.

Be careful with the floors during this time. Wait at least three days before moving heavy furniture back, but waiting the full five days is best.

Once your hardwood flooring is refinished, you may notice a small amount of dust on countertops or other flat surfaces in your house. Note that the process of sanding and refinishing of hardwood floors is typically 95% dust-free.

During the process all equipment is connected to special vacuums, ziplock seals and protective plastic coverings to protect your home. We take pride in our work and do our best to refinish your floors with care.

Buffing and recoating means putting a fresh coat of finish on top of your current one without sanding. It helps protect your floors and makes them look clean and shiny again. You can usually do this every 3 to 7 years.

Full refinishing is different. It involves sanding all the way down to the bare wood, removing the old finish and deeper scratches, and making your floors look completely new.

If your home or floors are newer, it’s usually better to start with a recoat first.

We can usually get pretty close to matching your existing floor color, but it probably won’t be perfect. Wood naturally varies, and older wood can take stain differently than newer wood. If your floors were finished recently, the match might be better. It also helps to use wood that’s the same type, grade, and length. Custom stains can be trickier to match, but we’ll always do our best.