WOOD FLOOR REFINISHING · LAKE FOREST, IL
From the 1916 shops of Market Square to the ravine streets east of the tracks, Lake Forest has a lot of old oak worth saving. We sand, stain and finish it with care, one home at a time.
01 / MARKET SQUARE
Market Square sits on Western Avenue just north of Deerpath, across the street from the Lake Forest train station. Howard Van Doren Shaw designed it as a U-shaped group of shops and homes around a long park, and it opened in 1916. It is often called the first planned shopping center in the country.
The streets around it hold some of the oldest houses on the North Shore. East of the tracks, homes in the historic district date back to the 1860s, with many built between the 1890s and the early 1940s. West of the tracks there are early 1900s neighborhoods, and farther west, past Route 41, many homes were built from the late 1950s on.
This page is about wood floor refinishing near Market Square in Lake Forest. It covers the parts of town around downtown, what their floors usually need, finishes that suit local house styles, a real Lake Forest project and the questions owners ask us most.
If your floors look dull, scratched up or orangey, call (847) 781-0100 or send a few photos. Peter Dudzik will come out for a free in-home estimate, measure the rooms and explain your options in plain words.
02 / MAP
Our crew is based in Hoffman Estates, about 30 miles from Market Square, and we work in Lake Forest regularly.
03 / AROUND MARKET SQUARE
Each part of town has its own kind of house, and the floors inside tend to need different things.
Shaw planned Market Square with apartments above the shops, and the streets west of the tracks were laid out on a simple grid for shops and homes. Older homes here often have narrow strip oak that has been refinished before.
East of the tracks, Almerin Hotchkiss laid out curving streets along the ravines in 1857. Many larger homes here have original oak, borders or parquet that need careful, light sanding.
Deerpath runs east from downtown past the 1898 City Hall, designed by Charles Sumner Frost. Older homes along it often have oak that has been sanded several times and patched over the years.
Forest Park sits on the bluff above Lake Michigan, with paths down to the beach. Homes near the water see big seasonal swings in humidity, and Sheridan Road leads south along the lake to floor refinishing in Hubbard Woods, Winnetka.
The college campus on North Sheridan Road includes older houses, such as a 1908 Shaw design. Nearby homes often have worn oak in front halls and on stairs, where traffic is heaviest.
West of the tracks, farms and estates became subdivisions after the Tri-State opened in 1958, with more built in the 1980s and 1990s. Many have red oak in honey tones, and farther west we also handle wood floor refinishing near Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire.
04 / SERVICES IN LAKE FOREST
Older Lake Forest homes often need more than a sanding: boards replaced, old patches fixed, floors leveled where walls were moved. We handle the repair and the refinishing as one job, so the new work blends into the floor you keep.
We sand to bare wood, apply stain samples on your own floor and finish with Bona Traffic HD or Loba Supra A.T. On thin, much-sanded historic floors near downtown, we check the wood first and sand only as much as needed.
When a room near Market Square has carpet, tile or damaged boards, we can lay new solid red or white oak and weave it into the existing floor. Then the whole area is sanded and finished together for one even color.
Many Lake Forest homes have a main staircase that sees more wear than any floor. We refinish treads, risers, railings and posts, replace damaged treads and can add wrought-iron spindles, matching the stairs to the refinished floors.
RECENT PROJECT · LAKE FOREST, IL
Lake Forest, IL
In Lake Forest we refinished about 2,000 square feet of hardwood upstairs and downstairs. Some walls had been removed, so we repaired the floor where they used to stand before sanding the whole house.
The owners chose a Silvered Gray stain, and we finished the floors with three coats of Bona Traffic HD in satin. The job also included 14 stair treads and risers, and it took five days.
05 / MARKET SQUARE
Around downtown Lake Forest, the usual question is about a floor that still has good wood but looks tired. The finish is worn gray in front of the sink and the door, the color has turned orangey or yellow, or new owners found oak under old carpet. In older homes we also see floors where a wall came out and left a gap in the boards.
Our usual job is a full sand to bare wood, color samples on your floor, and three coats of a commercial-grade finish. Before we start, we check how much wood is left above the tongue, because floors in homes this old may have been sanded several times. When the finish is only dull, not worn through, a buff and recoat may be all you need.
06 / MARKET SQUARE
07 / MARKET SQUARE
Many homes near Market Square have floors close to a hundred years old, or older. Solid oak can be sanded many times, but not forever. Each full sanding takes off a little wood, and on a floor that has been redone often, the boards above the tongue get thin. Old face nails can sit near the surface, and patches from past repairs may not match.
So we look before we sand. We check the board edges at a vent or a threshold, find old nails and repairs, and set the sanding to remove the old finish without taking more wood than needed. Where boards are too thin or damaged, we replace them with matching oak. Homes close to the lake also gain and lose moisture with the seasons, so small gaps in winter are normal and not a reason to fill every seam.
OUR WORK
Photos from Access Wood Flooring projects around the North Shore and northwest suburbs.
HOW IT WORKS
We come to your Lake Forest home, look at the floors with you, measure with a laser and send a detailed written estimate.
If you want a new color, we apply samples about 12 by 12 inches on your own wood so you choose in your light.
We sand with Oneida Vortex DCS or Bona Portable DCS 2.0 equipment and wrap cabinets and doorways in plastic.
We apply the finish system we agreed on, then walk you through drying times, furniture and floor care.
WHY A LOCAL FLOOR TEAM
We check how much wood is left before we sand, so a historic floor keeps its life for the next refinish.
About 12 × 12-inch stain samples go on your sanded floor, so you choose in your own light.
Peter Dudzik and the same small crew handle your floor from the estimate to the final walkthrough.
LAKE FOREST QUESTIONS
Have a question about your floor? We can review it during your free estimate.
(847) 781-0100Usually yes, but it depends on how much wood is left. Solid oak can be sanded many times, yet each full sanding removes a little. At the estimate we look at the board edges at a vent or a threshold to see the thickness above the tongue. If there is enough, we sand only as much as needed to remove the old finish. If some boards are too thin or damaged, we replace them with matching oak. If the finish is only dull, a recoat may be the better choice.
Yes. When a wall comes out, it leaves a strip of subfloor or a line where the boards stop. We remove the short boards at the edge and weave new oak into the old floor so the joints are staggered, not in one straight line. Then the whole room is sanded and stained together, so the repair takes the same color as the rest. We did this kind of repair on our Lake Forest project before sanding about 2,000 square feet.
It can, but red oak has a pink tone that shows through some grays, so the color on the can is not what you will see. That is why we put about 12 × 12-inch samples on your own sanded floor. You can look at them in the morning and in the evening before you decide. Our Lake Forest project used Silvered Gray with three coats of Bona Traffic HD in satin, and we can show you similar options on your boards.
Wood takes in moisture in the humid summer and gives it up when the heat is on in winter. Boards shrink a little and small gaps open, then close again in spring. This is normal for solid wood, and homes near the lake can see bigger swings. We do not fill every seasonal gap, because filler can crack or push out when the boards swell. Keeping indoor humidity steady helps, and we explain this at the final walkthrough.
Calls are answered directly or returned within about an hour, and we set up the free in-home estimate at a time that suits you. Urgent projects can usually start within about a week.
LET’S TALK ABOUT YOUR HOME
Tell us about your floors and we will set up a free in-home estimate in Lake Forest.