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From Just $3/sq ft
17+ Years of Local Expertise
Employee Owned
Company
Serving Chicago & 30+ Suburbs
Certified Pet- & Family-Safe Finishes
Big Bro Hardwood is an owner-operated hardwood flooring company serving Geneva and the surrounding suburbs. We install, sand, stain, refinish, and repair solid and engineered wood floors, starting around $3 a square foot. In 17+ years, we have completed 500+ floors across the area – restoring original red oak in Geneva’s historic downtown Victorian and Queen Anne homes, refreshing strip floors in mid-century colonials, and installing engineered hardwood over concrete in the newer Mill Creek and Eagle Brook communities.
The same small crew works your project from the first measurement to the last coat – no rotating subcontractors, ever. We give you a clear, line-by-line estimate, control sanding dust with vacuum-assisted equipment, and finish with Bona and Loba products that are kid- and pet-safe once cured. Contact us today and we will come out to your Geneva home with a free estimate within 24 hours.
High-quality Geneva flooring doesn’t need a luxury price tag. Our services start at just $3 per square foot. Use our hardwood floor cost calculator for a quick check.
Our hardwood floor specialists use advanced dustless sanding systems to keep your home cleaner and sustain the indoor air quality during the sanding process.
Most of our work comes from word-of-mouth. Clients trust us — and tell their friends. That’s how we’ve earned strong customer satisfaction.
BBH hardwood floor company works with everything from historic bungalows to high-rise condos. Our wood flooring options are built to handle snow, humidity, and the rhythm of city life.
We use only certified products from brands like Loba and Bona — safe for families, pets, and perfect for engineered wood floors or solid hardwood flooring.
Our hardwood flooring contractors keep a tight schedule, respect your home, and stay in communication. The entire process is clear, smooth, and handled by true professionals.
From the Victorian-era houses near the historic downtown to the newer communities out by Mill Creek, we handle every hardwood flooring need Geneva homeowners run into.
We’re a hardwood floor company based in the Geneva 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+ Geneva-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
15,000+ hours
Of hands-on hardwood work
Donatas
Owner
Valdas
Team member
Slavek
Team member
Geneva's mix of Victorian-era houses, mid-century ranches, and newer golf-course subdivisions means no two floors are quite the same. Here is how we adapt our work to what each home actually needs:
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Historic downtown and pre-war homes: Many older Geneva homes near the Fox River still have their original red oak or white oak strip floors. In most cases we can sand and refinish them instead of replacing anything. For any home built before 1978, we follow EPA lead-safe RRP practices – proper containment, HEPA filtration, and clearance verification – because lead-era paint on trim, stairs, and subfloor edges is common in this part of Geneva.
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Additions and remodels: When a kitchen opens into a dining room or a rear addition meets original flooring, we match species, board width, and grain direction so the new wood blends into what is already there.
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Mid-century and 1980s-1990s homes: Poured-concrete basements and occasional slab-on-grade sections in additions make glue-down or floating engineered systems the safer choice in these areas. We check subfloor moisture before committing to any method.
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Newer subdivisions like Mill Creek and Eagle Brook: OSB and plywood subfloors in these communities can support solid hardwood, but we skim-level transitions and verify moisture first so seasonal movement does not open gaps along seams.
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Fox River Valley humidity swings: Cold, dry winters and humid summers put real stress on wood. We acclimate every board on site and recommend keeping indoor humidity between 30-50% year-round to prevent cupping, gapping, and crowning – especially in homes closer to the river.
In many Geneva 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.
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Words only go so far, so take a look for yourself. This Geneva home was built in the mid-century era, and the original floors showed it - boards worn down, scratched through the finish, and dulled by decades of foot traffic. We sanded them back to bare wood, repaired the damage where it mattered, and refinished them from scratch. Same boards, no replacement. Scroll through the before and after and let the results speak for themselves.
Get a free in-home estimate within 24 hours. No pressure, no hidden costs — just honest advice and expert results, and no cutting corners.
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 June 30, 2026
Donatas May 21, 2026
Donatas April 28, 2026
Yes, and it’s some of our favorite work. Many homes near downtown Geneva and the Fox River were built in the late 1800s and early 1900s with site-finished red or white oak that still has good life in it. We assess the wood thickness first, then sand with vacuum-assisted equipment to keep dust out of your home. Refinishing from $3 per square foot beats replacement on cost and preserves the character of an older Geneva house. We’ll give you a free estimate within 24 hours.
Not a problem, but it does require the right preparation. Pre-1978 homes in Geneva, especially in the downtown and near-river neighborhoods, commonly have lead-based paint on trim, stairs, and occasionally floors. We follow EPA RRP protocols on every job in those homes: proper containment, HEPA vacuum equipment, and post-work verification. We’ll confirm the build year during your estimate and walk you through exactly what that process looks like before we start.
It does, more than most homeowners expect. Geneva gets cold, dry winters and humid summers, and homes near the river can see bigger moisture swings than properties farther west. That seasonal movement causes cupping, gapping, and squeaks if the wood isn’t installed correctly. We acclimate every board on site, check subfloor moisture before installation, and recommend keeping indoor humidity between 30-50% year-round. Following NWFA guidelines on acclimation is standard practice for us on every Geneva project.
You can, but we check a few things first. Late-1990s and 2000s subdivisions like Mill Creek often have OSB or plywood subfloors that need a moisture reading and flatness check before solid hardwood goes down. If there are slab-on-grade sections from additions or garage conversions, we’d recommend engineered wood or a glue-down system instead of nail-down. We’ll assess your specific subfloor during the free in-home estimate and tell you honestly which installation method fits your Geneva home best.
It depends mostly on square footage, the condition of the floors, and whether you’re refinishing or installing new. Refinishing starts around $3 per square foot; new installation costs more because of materials. You get an itemized price at the free in-home estimate, and you can get a rough number first with our online cost calculator.
Most refinishing projects take 2–5 days, depending on size, stain, and number of finish coats. You can usually stay home – we seal off work areas and keep sanding dust to a minimum with vacuum-assisted equipment – but you’ll need to keep off the floors while the finish cures (water-based finishes are walkable sooner than oil-based). We give you a day-by-day plan before we start.
For most projects, we take a deposit to cover materials and lock in your dates, with the balance due once the work is finished and you’re happy with it. We put the exact terms in writing at the estimate, so there are no surprises.
Tell us what you need — we’ll help you figure out the best way to get it done.
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