The Parliament Buildings are easily the biggest tourist attraction in Ottawa, as well one of the most visited sites in Canada, drawing more than 400,000 annual visitors to tour the 130-year-old buildings. The Library of Parliament, a spectacular oval-shaped building originally constructed between 1859 and 1876, is the only structure to have survived a massive fire in 1916.

The building was spared major damage thanks to Alpheus Todd, the  librarian whose forethought of closing the Library’s iron doors saved the national treasure from the spreading flames. The remaining Parliament buildings were rebuilt and remain intact. In 1952, another fire occurred in the dome of the Library which sustained minor damage from the water used to fight the fire.  

Eventually, it was time, not fire, which took its toll on the Library. Crumbling walls, leaking windows, faulty wiring and a variety of other problems had reduced the landmark building from an attraction to a hazard, forcing its closure more than four years ago. To the delight of Ottawa natives and travelers to this capital city, the renovation was completed earlier this year and the attraction reopened in June 2006.

Misty Wade Hovey, communications coordinator with Ottawa Tourism, the official tourism delegate for the city, was eager to bring the Library of Parliament back to the hundreds of thousands of tourists who visited the buildings every year.

“Due to age, elements, and their significance, it was quite important to have the buildings in the Parliamentary precinct restored to their original brilliance. The Library required the most extensive restoration, as it is the last of the original buildings.” Wade Hovey said. “This is our only connection to the past, you could say it’s still as true to life now as it was back then.”

One of the biggest components of this renovation was the replacement of the approximately 5,000-square-foot floor in the Reading Room of the Library. This task was also one of the trickiest, according to Anthony Maddalena, president of Ottawa-based MFloors Inc., the flooring contractor that oversaw the installation of the new floor.

Maddalena is also a partner in the flooring manufacturing company, Montreal Parquetry,  the company charged with restoring the damage from the two earlier fires. “This was actually the third time we, as Montreal Parquetry, have
 worked on the building,” Maddalena said.
 

The size and scope of the project was monumental. Montreal Parquetry and MFloors Inc. had to custom create more than 25,000 pieces of oak, cherry and walnut parquet flooring. According to Maddalena, the products used were carefully selected to fit the needs of the room’s usage. With hundreds of thousands of visitors every year, the floor needed to be incredibly durable with a long-lasting finish. To meet those needs Maddalena recommended Waterlox products.

“Waterlox was eventually chosen by the architect who wanted a product that could be easily maintained,” Maddalena said. “In the planning stages when we were writing the specs, we decided this would be the best product. We wanted to use their product because we knew that with proper maintenance the Waterlox product would protect the wood better than any other.”

While the floor has a life expectancy of 50 years, Maddalena says that by using a premium product and developing a state-of-the-art flooring system, it should last at least twice as long. The key is to use the right finish in the first place and then make sure the floor is well maintained.

The family-owned Waterlox brand is known for its premium floor finishing solutions, and being a part of this project held special significance. “Our product has been used throughout North America for 90 years in all types of settings, but being selected by name as the best possible product to protect this true landmark tourist attraction is especially humbling,” said Kellie Hawkins Schaffner, vice president of Waterlox Coatings Corporation.

“Every day we deliver products that are solutions to our client’s needs and the Library of Parliament project was incredible, both in size and in stature. We’re proud to have our product protecting the floor of such a remarkable Canadian treasure” added Hawkins Schaffner.

According to Hawkins Schaffner, while the main focus of Waterlox is manufacturing flooring finishing products, the company’s sealers and finishing coatings are typically selected for both residential and commercial projects because they are durable and easy to maintain without the typical “plastic” look that too many other products leave behind.

The job itself was incredibly complex, but Maddalena says his company’s extensive experience in dealing with large, high profile projects helped the operation run smoothly. In this case, the floor was manufactured approximately two to three years before it was installed.

“We manufactured the floor in 2003 and back then we did about 28 different dimensions in panels and several types and we created them everywhere from around 10 to 25 square feet in size and in all different geometric designs,” he said. “Then early in 2006 we were on site to create the subfloor once the basement was done and we could then do the installation, sanding and finishing of the floor itself.”

Eight alcoves surrounding the Reading Room provided slightly different flooring challenges, and in the end the entire floor had to be custom-made, Maddalena said. He says that the construction of his tongue and grooved floor combined with the protection of  Waterlox products is  one of his company’s greatest achievements.

 

“We wanted to make the product better than the original,” Maddalena added. “There’s no doubt that unless there’s some catastrophic event the floor will be there in 100 years.” 

 

“It’s certainly one of Canada’s most visited rooms and it will continue to be a focal point of tourism for years to come,” Maddalena said.

 

Waterlox Coatings Corporation is a family owned, four generation-old company based in Cleveland, Ohio,  and has been a leading manufacturer of premium wood flooring finishing solutions since 1916. Waterlox products are hand-made in Ohio and represent the flooring industry’s highest level of quality protection, and are available at hardware stores, flooring supply  distributors, paint stores, as well as online or via phone.