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From Just $3/sq ft
17+ Years of Local Expertise
Certified Pet- & Family-Safe Finishes
Moisture Checks Done
500+ Floors Completed
Big Bro Hardwood is an employee-owned hardwood flooring company serving Evanston and the surrounding North Shore suburbs. We install, sand, stain, refinish, and repair solid and engineered wood floors, starting around $3 a square foot. Over 17+ years and 500+ projects across the area, we have brought original red oak strip floors back to life in Victorian and Craftsman-era homes, matched new boards into pre-war courtyard apartments, and laid engineered hardwood over concrete subfloors in Evanston condos near downtown and Northwestern.
The same small crew handles your project from the first measurement to the last coat – no rotating subcontractors, ever. Every estimate is priced line by line so you know exactly what you are paying for. We use vacuum-assisted sanding equipment to keep dust out of your home, and we finish with Bona and Loba products that are kid- and pet-safe once cured. Call or email today and we will come out to Evanston for a free in-home estimate within 24 hours.
Premium Results From $3/sq ft
Beautiful hardwood floors in Evanston do not have to come with an oversized bill. Our refinishing services start at just $3, and installation pricing is equally straightforward. Want a quick sense of what your project might run? Try our hardwood floor cost calculator for a fast, honest starting point before we ever set foot in your home.
80% of Clients Refer Us
We do not spend heavily on advertising because we rarely need to. Roughly 80% of our work arrives through neighbors, friends, and family recommending us to each other. In a close-knit community like Evanston, that kind of trust is not handed out lightly. We take it seriously and work hard to keep earning it on every single project.
Floors and Stairs Under One Scope
We handle installation, sanding and refinishing, staining, repair, and stair work as one connected scope. That matters because matching species, stain tone, and sheen across floors and treads is much easier when one crew controls every step. Nothing falls through the cracks between trades.
Free In-Home Estimate Within 24 Hours
We come to you, measure the actual space, check subfloor conditions, and talk through what you want to accomplish. Then we put together a free, itemized estimate – typically within 24 hours. You get a real scope built around your specific floors, not a rough guess pulled from a price-per-square-foot average that ignores what is actually under your feet.
Owner-Led From Start to Finish
Donatas, Valdas, and Slavek – our small, experienced crew – stay with your project from the first walkthrough to the final inspection. No rotating subcontractors, no handoffs, no one showing up who does not know what was agreed. One consistent team means better decisions, cleaner results, and a single point of accountability throughout.
Tailored for Evanston Homes
Evanston’s housing ranges from pre-war Victorian and Craftsman homes with original oak strip floors to mid-century courtyard apartments and modern condos sitting on concrete subfloors. We know how to work with all of it. That means proper acclimation, moisture checks, EPA Lead RRP compliance in older homes, and the right installation method for whatever subfloor we find beneath your existing floor.
From Victorian-era single-family homes near the lakefront to mid-century courtyard apartments and modern condos, we handle every kind of hardwood flooring project Evanston throws at us.
We’re a hardwood floor company based in the Evanston area, with 17+ years of hands-on experience in hardwood floor installation, floor refinishing, staining, and repair services. Our team is small, focused, and takes pride in doing every job right, from the first measurement to the final product.
We’ve completed 500+ Evanston-area projects across the city and the Chicagoland area, and we work closely with every client to make sure the results match their flooring needs — no shortcuts, no guesswork. Big Bro Hardwood wood flooring contractors adhere to the industry’s National Wood Flooring Association Technical Guidelines.
Our wood flooring company believes in clear communication, the best materials, and clean, quality work. More than 80% of our new clients come from satisfied customers who recommend us to family, friends, and neighbors — and we’re genuinely proud to earn that kind of trust.
17+ years
Of experience
500+
Hardwood floor projects completed
30+
Suburbs served
1 crew
No subcontractors - the owner is on every hardwood job
Donatas
Owner
Valdas
Team member
Slavek
Team member
Evanston's mix of Victorian-era single-family homes, pre-war courtyard apartments, and newer condos means the right flooring approach depends heavily on what's underneath - and what the local climate does to wood year-round.
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Victorian and Early-1900s Homes
Older Evanston houses typically sit on full basements with dimensional lumber joists and plank or plywood subfloors – ideal conditions for nail-down solid hardwood. Many still have their original red or white oak strip floors. We sand and refinish those floors rather than replace them whenever the boards have life left. Because so much of this housing stock predates 1978, we follow EPA Lead RRP protocols on every pre-1978 project: proper containment, HEPA vacuuming, and post-work verification.
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Additions and Rehabs
When a newer addition meets an older section of the house, matching the existing oak strip floor is the main challenge. We select species, width, and stain to blend the new boards as closely as possible with what’s already there, then sand the whole area as one surface so the transition disappears.
3
Courtyard Apartments and Condos on Concrete
Mid-century and later multifamily buildings in Evanston often have concrete subfloors under old carpet or vinyl. Nail-down solid hardwood isn’t an option there. We use glue-down or floating engineered wood instead, with low-VOC Bona or Loba finishes that are safe once cured and practical for HOA scheduling.
4
Mixed Foundations and Crawlspace Transitions
Lakefront and early-20th-century homes here often combine a full basement with a partial crawlspace addition. Moisture levels can vary significantly from one section to the next. We check subfloor moisture readings at every transition point before any material goes down, so the floor doesn’t move or cup after installation.
5
Lake-Effect Humidity and Seasonal Movement
Evanston’s position on Lake Michigan means summer humidity spikes and dry winter air hit harder than they do further inland. We acclimate all wood on site before installation and recommend keeping indoor humidity between 30-50% year-round. That range is what controls seasonal expansion, cupping, and gapping in site-finished hardwood floors.
In many Evanston homes the original wood is worth saving rather than replacing - the only way to know for certain is to look at the subfloor and the boards up close, which is exactly what we do at every free in-home estimate.
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Call or send the form, tell us about your floors, and we’ll set a time to come look.
2
We measure, check the wood and subfloor, talk through color and options, and leave you an itemized estimate.
3
Our crew handles prep, sanding, install, stain, and finish on a dust-controlled setup, cleaning up daily.
4
We do a final walkthrough, go over care and timing, and stand behind the work.
We recently refinished the hardwood floors in an older Evanston two-story - the kind of pre-war home you find throughout the neighborhood, with original strip floors that had taken decades of foot traffic and were showing deep scratches and a finish worn completely dull. We sanded them back, repaired the damage, and refinished them from scratch - same boards, no replacement. Take a look at the before and after photos and judge the results for yourself.
Get a free in-home estimate within 24 hours. No pressure, no hidden costs — just honest advice and expert results, and no cutting corners.
Get a realistic budget range in about a minute for refinishing, new installation, replacing carpet with hardwood, or stairs. It’s a starting point, not a firm quote, and we confirm the exact figure with a free in-home estimate.
Choose what you'd like an estimate for
Not sure which one? Learn about wood types →
* This estimate is for budgeting purposes only. Actual pricing may vary based on site conditions, moisture levels, subfloor state, and access. A final quote requires an on-site inspection.
Not sure which one? Learn about wood types →
Red Oak $3–$7 / sq ft
White Oak $4–$10 / sq ft
Maple (clear coat) $4–$9 / sq ft
Maple (stained) $4–$9 / sq ft
Cherry $5–$12 / sq ft
Walnut $7–$15 / sq ft
Hickory $4–$10 / sq ft
Exotic / Other $8–$20 / sq ft
No removal needed
Remove carpet +$0.70–$1.60 / sq ft
Remove vinyl / linoleum +$1.00–$2.50 / sq ft
Remove tile +$1.50–$3.50 / sq ft
Subfloor leveling / repairs+$1.00–$3.00 / sq ft
Moisture barrier / underlayment+$0.70–$1.50 / sq ft
* This estimate is for budgeting purposes only. Actual pricing may vary based on site conditions, moisture levels, subfloor state, and access. A final quote requires an on-site inspection.
Not sure which one? Learn about wood types →
Red Oak $3–$7 / sq ft
White Oak $4–$10 / sq ft
Maple (clear coat) $4–$9 / sq ft
Maple (stained) $4–$9 / sq ft
Cherry $5–$12 / sq ft
Walnut $7–$15 / sq ft
Hickory $4–$10 / sq ft
Exotic / Other $8–$20 / sq ft
Subfloor leveling / repairs+$1.00–$3.00 / sq ft
Moisture barrier / underlayment+$0.70–$1.50 / sq ft
* This estimate is for budgeting purposes only. Actual pricing may vary based on site conditions, moisture levels, subfloor state, and access. A final quote requires an on-site inspection.
Donatas July 21, 2026
Donatas May 21, 2026
Donatas April 28, 2026
Yes, and it’s honestly some of our favorite work. A large share of Evanston’s housing stock dates from the late 1800s through the 1940s, so we regularly work with original red oak and white oak strip floors in Victorian, Foursquare, and early Craftsman homes. We follow EPA Lead RRP protocols on pre-1978 properties, using proper containment and HEPA equipment, so older homes are handled safely from start to finish.
Absolutely. Many of Evanston’s mid-century and later apartment and condo buildings have concrete subfloors under old carpet or vinyl. In those cases, nail-down solid hardwood isn’t the right fit, so we typically recommend glue-down or floating engineered hardwood instead. We check subfloor moisture and flatness before we commit to any method, so you get an installation that’s right for your specific unit, not just a generic recommendation.
It matters more than most people expect. Wood expands in humid summers and shrinks in dry winters, and Evanston’s lake-influenced swings can make that movement more pronounced. We recommend keeping indoor humidity between 30-50% year-round. We also acclimate every board on site before installation. Staying in that range prevents cupping in summer and gapping in winter, which are the two most common complaints we hear from Evanston homeowners.
It’s something we plan for carefully. Mixed foundations, a basement under the main house and a crawlspace under an addition, are common in older Evanston homes near the lake. The crawlspace side can introduce more moisture, so we assess both areas before installation. We check subfloor moisture readings at the transition point and address any concerns upfront. That kind of prep work is what keeps a floor looking right years down the road.
Refinishing starts at $3 per square foot, and installation pricing depends on species, subfloor condition, and the scope of the job. For a quick estimate before we visit, try our cost calculator. For homes under 1,200 square feet we offer a flat rate, and every formal estimate is itemized line by line so you know exactly what you’re paying for. New clients also receive 10% off when it’s a natural finish project.
We look at board thickness, finish wear, stain depth, and any structural damage before making a call. Most floors can be sanded and refinished three to five times over their lifetime, and refinishing costs a fraction of replacement. If boards are cupped, cracked, or too thin to sand again, we’ll tell you honestly. We don’t push replacement when refinishing will do the job well, and we don’t push refinishing when the floor genuinely needs to go.
A standard refinishing job on a main floor typically takes two to three days, including dry time between coats. Installation timelines vary by square footage and subfloor prep needed. You don’t have to leave entirely, but you’ll want to stay off the freshly coated areas and keep pets and kids out of the work zone until the finish has cured. We walk you through the exact day-by-day schedule at your estimate so there are no surprises.
Not with us. We use vacuum-assisted dustless sanding equipment that captures 95% or more of dust at the source. That matters especially in older Evanston homes where dust can travel quickly through open floor plans or older HVAC systems. The same crew handles your project from the first day of sanding to the final coat, so nothing gets overlooked. We also use Bona and Loba low-VOC finishes that are safe for kids and pets once fully cured.
Tell us what you need — we’ll help you figure out the best way to get it done.
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