The Quebec province of Canada is highly regarded producing some of the finest hardwoods in the world. World-renowned brands such as Mercier, Mirage, and Lauzon are trusted brands in the flooring industry.
What are the Canadian flooring companies doing differently that sets them apart from the rest? In May 2019, I was invited to an exclusive mill tour of the Mercier facility to learn about the secret behind the prestigious Canadian manufacturing process. I was only allowed to take photos of the exterior due to some proprietary manufacturing process that Mercier wants to keep hidden from the competition.
Day 1: Saw Mill
We arrive at Montreal Airport around 11:00 a.m., where our hosts from Mercier Wood Flooring meet us at the terminal. Our first stop is the Mercier Sawmill, located 60 miles from Montreal. Upon arrival, the vast number of logs in the yard is immediately noticeable. It takes nine truckloads of logs to produce just one truckload of flooring. After putting on hard hats and safety glasses, we head to the yard where the logs are stored. Our guide explains that the logs come from the Northeastern United States, a region known for its rich soil and optimal growth conditions, which result in some of the finest wood.
The logs are sorted by species, and then heavy machinery picks them up individually for the debarking process. We are told that nothing goes to waste here—after the wood is measured and debarked, byproducts like sawdust and bark are sent to partner facilities for further processing into other products. The wood is then milled and dried to precise specifications using advanced machinery.
Mercier’s engineered hardwoods cost more to produce than solid wood due to the thicker 4mm sawn veneer, the bonding process, and the Baltic birch plywood core. Baltic birch plywood, imported from Russia and Finland, is known for its superior quality. This plywood enhances the wood’s appearance and stability, especially in harsh environmental conditions.
Throughout the tour, it’s clear that Mercier has made significant investments in technology. With a labor shortage in the region and increasing demand, automation plays a critical role in their operations. Our guide explains that stations that were once staffed by several workers are now fully automated. This shift has also improved grading consistency, which previously relied on the human eye to determine whether the wood was Select Grade or Character Grade. Now, this task is handled by computer algorithms.
The main takeaways from this process are control and consistency. From selecting the best section of the logs to determining the grade of the cut wood, the flooring manufacturer has complete control over every step. This level of precision is essential in shaping the look and feel of the final product. Each night, the wood is carefully loaded into semi-trucks for transport to the finishing facility.
Day 2: Finishing Line
The finishing facility is located near Quebec City. In 1980, Marcel Mercier, the founder of the Mercier brand, was a cabinet maker and innovator who found it strange that flooring installers at the time had to deal with the inconvenience and inconsistencies of sanding and finishing their products onsite, while all of his cabinets were finished before installation. Mercier initially started as a finishing company for other flooring mills and quickly gained a reputation for having the best finishes in the hardwood flooring market.
Like many great discoveries, Mercier’s breakthrough with soybean-based finishes happened by accident. Due to rising petroleum prices and the instability of petroleum-based finishes, combined with a slowing global economy, Mercier began experimenting with soy-based finishes—and never looked back. With all the benefits of the soy-based finish, they saw no reason to return to using petroleum-based alternatives.
While most flooring finishes are petroleum-based, we learned about Mercier’s patented soybean finish. Research shows that children and seniors with weakened immune systems, when exposed to high levels of VOC emissions, are four times more likely to develop asthma. Mercier’s soy-based finish is the only aluminum oxide flooring finish that claims zero VOCs. This, combined with their commitment to sustainability, has earned Mercier Floors both the highest level of Green Guard certification and LEED certification.
Today, Mercier’s soy-based finish contains 120g per square meter of aluminum oxide, which allows it to achieve 1,200 rotations on the abrasion test—the highest score among residential hardwood flooring manufacturers, surpassing all petroleum-based aluminum oxide finishes.
As we move further down the production line, the Canadian commitment to excellence is evident in the final step of the process. Each plank is carefully inspected for defects before leaving the factory. Any planks with even the smallest imperfection are set aside in the reject bin to be repurposed.
We concluded our tour with a visit to Quebec City, which boasts a rich history and French-influenced architecture dating back to 1608. The region is beautifully maintained, with a strong emphasis on sustainability and preservation, a value that is reflected in the ethos of industries throughout Quebec. Definity is worth the visit!