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We sand and refinish hardwood floors in Highland Park, oak and engineered, with the owner on every job and no subcontractors. Highland Park's median home dates to 1963, and we give a free in-home estimate within 24 hours.
Big Bro Hardwood is a hardwood floor refinishing company working in Highland Park, IL, run by its owner. We sand and refinish solid oak and engineered wood floors in local homes, bringing back finishes that have gone dull, gray or scratched, or picked up dark water marks over the years. Many Highland Park homes were built between 1940 and 1969, and under old carpet in those houses you’ll often still find original oak worth saving.
We refinish floors across all of Highland Park. That includes the older homes of Ravinia, the properties in East Highland Park, the converted historic buildings and newer construction at Fort Sheridan, and the condos and townhomes downtown, along with Sherwood Forest, The Highlands and Exmoor.
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: installation 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 | Every 3 to 7 years |
| Deep scratches, gray or worn spots, or you want a new color | Full sanding down to bare wood and new finish coats | Every 7 to 10 years |
| 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 | A new hardwood flooring installation; we tell you honestly when a floor can’t take another sand | Not applicable |
Highland Park’s housing stock spans early-1900s estates to recent builds, and each era can add a step to a wood floor refinishing job. We check the floor’s age, finish and construction before quoting.
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. Buying a home? We can do a free estimate before you close, so the floors are done before the furniture moves in.
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: Fine Sanding and Repairs
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.
Highland Park’s housing ranges from 1920s estates to 1990s builds, so we start every job by matching our approach to your home’s age and floor type, not a one-size plan.
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.
About 18% of Highland Park homes went up between 1970 and 1989, a stretch when builders mixed red oak with early engineered boards. We check which one you have and its wear before pricing any work.
Most Highland Park homes, nearly three-quarters, are single-family houses with kids and pets underfoot. We use low-VOC water-based finishes and walk you through dry and cure times before the first coat goes down.
Highland Park limits contractor work to 7 AM to 7 PM on weekdays and 9 AM to 5 PM on Saturdays, with no work on Sundays or holidays. We schedule sanding and finish coats inside those hours.
Single-family homes make up most of Highland Park, often with open paths from kitchen to living room to hallway. We cover trim, cabinets, vents and the rooms staying untouched before sanding starts.
Highland Park bars parking a commercial-lettered truck or van in a front-yard setback except for loading or unloading. We plan where our equipment sits so unloading stays quick and the street stays clear.
City rules require rubbish and loose materials to be cleared from public ways as fast as they’re produced, not left for pickup day. We bag sanding debris and haul it out before we leave each day.
Sanding and refinishing of a maple floor in Highland Park, IL. The existing warm floor was sanded back and refinished to a lighter silvered grey, color tested on the actual floor, and sealed with Loba 2K Duo across the living room and hall. Dust-controlled sanding kept the home clean.
Ready to give your hardwood floors a new life? Schedule an appointment today!
contact big bro hardwoodMy job required a lot of repair before floors could be refinished. Great attention to detail and very pleasant to work with. The quality of the work was outstanding.Read more
Yes. We’re fully insured for condos and houses, and HOA boards in Downtown Highland Park or Fort Sheridan can ask for a certificate of insurance before work starts. We also provide written dust-control documentation if your building’s management wants it on file.
Highland Park bans street parking from 2 AM to 6 AM between December 1 and March 31. On winter jobs we plan unloading and equipment storage around that window so our truck isn’t parked overnight in violation of the rule.
Lake-adjacent homes in East Highland Park see more humidity swings than inland blocks. We hold rooms at 60-80°F and 35-55% relative humidity through sanding and curing so the new finish cures evenly regardless of the lake air outside.
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