Canadian Hardwood Firm To Start Finishing Line

Nova Scotia, Canada, May 5, 2010--A local hardwood flooring manufacturer has purchased finishing equipment from a furniture manufacturer and for the first time will finish flooring itself, according to the Chronicle Herald.

River’s Bend Wood Products Inc. now sends its flooring to Quebec for finishing. But the company is spending $1.3 million to expand its existing facility and add deeply discounted finishing equipment it bought from a former furniture manufacturer.

"We’ll be the only company in Atlantic Canada that actually pre-finishes a hardwood," said Paul van de Wiel of River’s Bend.

The 36-meter-long finishing line will use eight roll-coaters to apply an acrylic finish to flooring. It will employ ultraviolet light to dry the finish almost instantaneously.

"We’re thinking this is going to open up more markets for us," van de Wiel said.

The company, which now sells in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Manitoba, is looking to Germany, France and Russia for new customers.

River’s Bend, which had just over $1.8 million in sales last year, is planning to add 7,500 square feet to its 10,000-square-foot facility by late fall.