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We sand and refinish hardwood floors in Berwyn, where many 1920s bungalows still hide solid oak under old carpet. Dan runs every job himself, one crew, no subcontractors, with dustless sanding and a free in-home estimate within 24 hours.
Big Bro Hardwood is a hardwood floor refinishing company working in Berwyn, IL, run by its owner. We sand and refinish solid and engineered wood floors in local homes, bringing back oak that’s gone dull, scratched, gray or marked by water. Most Berwyn bungalows from the 1920s still have their original oak floors, often under carpet laid decades later, and that old wood usually sands down beautifully once we check its condition.
We refinish floors all over Berwyn, in bungalows and newer homes alike. That includes the Central Berwyn Bungalow Historic District, the Gold Coast, the Depot District near the Metra station, South Berwyn, and the 12th Street and LaVergne Settlements historic districts.
Sanding and finishing most oak floors over 1,000 sq ft starts at $3–$4 per sq ft, so 1,000 sq ft of oak starts at about $3,000 to $4,000. Nationally, the cost to refinish hardwood floors runs $3–$8 per sq ft. Our prices stay affordable and competitive without cutting corners: Dan (Donatas), the owner, works on every job and treats each floor the way he would treat his own.
| Floor or Service | Starting Price* |
|---|---|
| Full Sand & Refinish, Oak (1,000+ sq ft) | $3.0–$4.0 / sq ft |
| Mid-Size Floors, Oak (300–1,000 sq ft) | $5.0–$7.0 / sq ft |
| Small Areas (≤300 sq ft), $1,500 Project Minimum | $8–$10 / sq ft |
| Prefinished / Aluminum-Oxide Floors | $7.0–$8.0 / sq ft |
| Maple / Exotic, Clear Coat | $4.4–$5.0 / sq ft |
| Maple / Exotic, Color Change | $5.25–$6.0 / sq ft |
| Sandless Refinishing (Buff & Recoat), on Its Own or With Other Work | $1.50–$2 / sq ft |
| Color Change on Oak | Add $1–$2 / sq ft |
| Third Coat of Finish, Whole Floor | Add $1 / sq ft |
*Starting ranges for our professional hardwood floor refinishing service, with labor and standard finish included. Every quote is itemized line by line, so it is easy to compare with other local hardwood floor refinishers, and carpet removal is its own line: ask which prep you can safely do yourself. For a rough number, try our floor refinishing cost calculator or book a free hardwood floor estimate.
Add-ons:
$1.75–$2.00 / sq ft
Wax finish removal (older floors)
$80–$100 / tread
Stairs (treads only)
Per inspection
Full staircase / handrails & balusters
Most floors can be saved with hardwood floor repair and refinishing. If you’re deciding whether to refinish or replace hardwood floors, keeping your floor is usually the more affordable choice: for new floors, labor alone runs $3.00–$9.50/sq ft, before the new wood, and $1–$3/sq ft to remove the old floor.
| What You See on Your Floor | What It Usually Needs | How Often |
|---|---|---|
| Dull finish or light scratches, no bare or gray wood | Buff & recoat (sandless), also called screen and recoat | About every 5 years |
| Deep scratches, gray or worn spots, or you want a new color | Full sanding down to bare wood and new finish coats | About every 10 years, sooner with large dogs |
| A few cracked or loose boards, or marks that soaked in deep | Board replacement as part of the refinishing job | As needed |
| Nail heads or tongues showing, boards cupped through or rotted | New hardwood flooring; we tell you honestly when a floor can’t take another sanding | Not applicable |
Berwyn’s housing stock runs from century-old bungalows to small condo buildings, and each type changes how we sand and refinish a floor. We check the home’s age, its finish and its floor construction before we quote.
You can usually stay home during the work. Up to about 300 sq ft takes 1 to 2 days, and a one-day refinish may be possible. About 1,000 sq ft takes 3 to 4 days, since each coat must dry before the next.
Before Day 1: Estimate and Inspection
We measure the floor, check wear, damage, loose boards and squeaks, and go over color, sheen and what’s included. Photos of your floor give us enough for a rough number; the exact price comes from this visit. Work usually starts 2 to 4 weeks after the estimate, and shorter jobs like a buff and recoat (1–2 days) can sometimes fit in sooner. Buying a home? We can do a free estimate before you close, so the floors are done before the furniture moves in. Clearing the rooms is up to you: we can help move a single sofa and recommend a moving company when a whole floor needs emptying.
Day 1: Protection and Rough Sanding
We cover walls, cabinets and transitions and run an Atomic Dust Containment System with HEPA-filtered Festool vacuums, which captures 95% or more of the dust at the source, though edges and corners always leave some fine residue. Professional floor sanding starts in a controlled grit sequence across the field. Sanding is loud, so plan work-from-home days around it.
Day 2: Sanding
We detail edges and corners so the whole room looks even, fix damaged boards and small gaps, and clean the surface so color takes evenly.
Day 3: Stain
After hardwood floor sanding, we test stains right on your floor and apply the color you pick. On red oak, lighter browns bring out the red and darker colors show scratches more easily, and a perfect match with older or discontinued wood isn’t always possible. Without a color change, this day goes to finish coats.
Day 4: Finish Coats
We apply 2 coats of finish as standard, or 3 if you choose the extra coat. Our low-VOC water-based finishes give off far fewer fumes than oil-based polyurethane, which often means planning how long to stay out of the house after refinishing. Bona (GREENGUARD Gold) and Loba (EMICODE EC1) products are safe for families and pets once cured.
After the Last Coat: Walkthrough and Moving Back In
We walk the floor with you, do touch-ups and leave care instructions: knowing how to maintain hardwood floors keeps the new finish looking good longer. Light foot traffic is usually fine after about 24 hours, and pets can come back after 24 to 48 hours. Furniture goes back after 3 to 5 days and rugs after 5 to 7 days, because how long polyurethane takes to dry sets the pace for each stage. Put felt pads under furniture legs and lift pieces into place instead of dragging them.
In Berwyn, you get a crew that treats your bungalow’s original oak the way the home deserves, with an honest look at its condition before any price is set.
Our professional wood floor refinishing crew is led by Dan, the owner, with Valdas (20+ years in hardwood flooring) and Slavek (37 years of stair and finish carpentry). We follow NWFA technical guidelines, our finish carries a 5-year warranty against peeling, and more than 80% of new clients come through referrals.
Berwyn requires a dumpster permit from the Building Department, proof of insurance naming the city as an additional insured, and removal within five days of drop-off. We keep that paperwork current so your project stays on schedule.
Street parking tightens near the Depot District and the Metra station, so we price access on a per-project basis rather than guessing. A tighter driveway or limited loading can change the quote.
Prairie, Colonial Revival and Tudor-style bungalows in Berwyn each carry different trim tones, so we test your chosen color on a section of your own floor in daylight and lamp light first.
Homes in the Central Berwyn Bungalow Historic District span five decades, from 1900 to 1949, so wood species and wear vary house to house. We check both before any quote goes out.
South Berwyn’s two-flats and courtyard buildings put neighbors close together, so we plan sanding hours and noise around shared walls and common entries before work starts.
Quotes for Berwyn’s older districts, from 12th Street to LaVergne Settlements, break out carpet removal, board work and finish coats by line, so you know what’s included before Dan starts.
Sanding and ebony refinishing of a worn hardwood floor in Berwyn, IL, sealed with Loba Easy Finish for a deep, near-black tone across the living and dining rooms. Dust-controlled sanding kept the home clean.
Ready to give your hardwood floors a new life? Schedule an appointment today!
contact big bro hardwoodThe floors look fantastic. It's been 40 years and they look new.Read more
Many can. A Berwyn home listing from 1923 shows original woodwork and hardwood floors still intact on the main level, and floors that age usually sand down well if the wood hasn’t been cut too thin already. We check the boards’ thickness before quoting.
Usually yes. South Berwyn’s streets have many bungalow-style two-flats and courtyard buildings, and we can often schedule both units back to back if access and timing work for both owners. Each unit still gets its own quote line, since wear and finish often differ floor to floor.
Access plays a bigger role than the building type alone. A single-family bungalow with a driveway is usually simpler to quote than a two-flat or small condo building, where shared entries and tighter loading change the price. We price access per project, not by a fixed add-on.
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