Hardwood Flooring Installation Chicago

Yes, we do a lot of condo work. On a concrete slab we install glue-down or floating engineered wood, and we take care of the building requirements for you: a sound-rated underlayment that meets your association’s IIC rating, a certificate of insurance, elevator booking, and work inside quiet hours. The condo rules are usually the part owners dread, and that’s exactly the part we handle.

For a like-for-like floor, the City of Chicago generally doesn’t require a permit. Condo and HOA boards are another matter, and usually ask for a sound-rated underlayment at a set IIC rating, proof of insurance, and approved work hours. We prepare that spec sheet for your board ahead of time, so approval doesn’t hold up your start date.

Often, they can be saved. A lot of bungalows and greystones have original red oak or pine in better shape than you’d expect once the carpet comes up, and refinishing it costs less than a full new install. If the boards are too worn, water-damaged, or there’s old tile and mastic underneath, we tell you straight at the estimate and walk through the options. Either way, you’ll know before any work begins.

Usually, yes. Many Chicago homes have original red oak from decades ago, and we match new boards by species, grade, board width and stain, then feather the transition so an addition or a replaced room blends in instead of standing out. If an exact match isn’t possible because of age or discontinued sizing, we show you the closest options at the estimate before anything is ordered.

Cost depends mostly on the install method, which we match to your subfloor. Across Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, our labor rates start around:

• Nail-down: $3.50 to $6.50 per sq ft (houses, first or second floor)
• Glue-down: $5.50 to $9.50 per sq ft (condos and basements over concrete)
• Floating: $3.00 to $5.50 per sq ft (faster installs and rentals)
• Stairs: $150 to $300 per step

These are labor only. Materials (the wood, adhesive, underlayment) and extras like old floor removal, subfloor leveling or a moisture barrier are billed separately as line items. You get an itemized quote after an on-site visit, and a rough figure up front from our cost calculator.

For a room or two, most installs take 1 to 3 days. Whole-home projects or custom layouts take longer. Prefinished floors are ready for light foot traffic the same day, while site-finished floors need finish cure time before furniture and rugs go back. You get a day-by-day schedule before we start, so you can plan around it.

Solid hardwood is the classic choice for above-grade rooms over a wood subfloor, and it can be sanded and refinished many times over its life. Engineered wood is the better pick for concrete slabs, basements, kitchens, and over radiant heat, where it stays more stable when moisture or temperature shift. We look at your space and subfloor and tell you honestly which one fits, not just what’s easiest to install.

Yes, most people stay home. Expect some noise and dust, though we use dust-controlled containment and clean up at the end of each day. After a prefinished install, light foot traffic is usually fine the same day; for site-finished floors, furniture typically goes back after 24 to 48 hours and rugs a little later, once the finish has cured. We give you the exact timing before we start.