# Building using Quinnlite blocks



## rushej (4 Nov 2008)

Hi ,
We are looking at building with a standard concrete block external leaf and Quinnlite internal leaf.
Does anyone have experience with Quinnlite blocks? Am intrested in experience of laying and plastering these blocks?

Thank you,

rushej


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## sfag (4 Nov 2008)

Yes I do. I dont know what leafs are.
I used them for internal walls. They are very light. I laid them on suspended concrete breton slabs without problem - ie they are a sub for stud walls.  They were twice the price of ordinary blocks. I believe they are unsuitable for external walls. They are very brittle. Easy for brickies to lay them.


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## rushej (4 Nov 2008)

Thanks sfag,
How did you find them for plastering?
Did you have any problems with cracking after plastering?
Did you have any problem attaching items to the completed walls (e.g. shelving, pictures etc).

Thank again.

rushej


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## joker538 (4 Nov 2008)

Hi,
They are difficult to plaster and have seen instances of cracking in plaster of Quinnlite blocks.. consult agent about methodology of plastering


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## kpj17 (4 Nov 2008)

i work in an architects office ( im a technician )  and have seen these on site quite a lot although mostly in apartments , would agree not to use them in external walls  in either leaf, as they are not loadbearing, and they are difficult to plaster and i believe that there is a specialist type of plaster for them and yes it does crack , if your building off a precast slab why not just use standard 100mm concrete blocks, this is pretty standard practice,


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## Lak (4 Nov 2008)

Excellent thermal performance and easy to lay and cut, theese blocks are used 100% of the time in masonary built houses in the uk. They are an absolute nightmare to plaster using sand and cement but can be done. They are however ideal for dot and dab drylining which in my opinion is far and away a better way of plastering than sand and cement on any substrate.


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## rushej (5 Nov 2008)

Thank you all for your replies,
We are being told (by BER assessor) to target an A3 rating for the build.
This requires an A3 rating in the wall. 
We can achieve this with 2 concrete leafs, 60mm insulation in cavity and 42mm drylining.
Alternatively, we can achieve roughly the same with concrete external leaf, 75mm in cavity and quinnlite b5 internal leaf.

One point I have picked up on is that the drylining would reduce the capacity of the house to store heat vs Quinnlite, which would have some thermal capacity.

Do any  of you have any recommendation\thoughts on a builds with high\low thermal capacity?

Thanks again,

rushe


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## sfag (6 Nov 2008)

yes I do.
1. regarding insulation if you have cavity use the normal HD insulation - as much as you could fit in. three years ago the regulatory requirement was 60mm - has that changed?
2. No need for further insulation of any kind on the inner leaf as it will not add benefit.
A lot of people think double insualtion improves things and often slab or dry line with an inch of insulated plasterboard plus cavity insualtion. This has been proven to have no benefit over the cavity insulation alone. You'll only heat the internal cavity walll possibly making it sweat. No thermal benefit (counter intuitive I know) and a lot of extra expense. 
3. Yes quinn lite blocks are difficult to plaster (they are too dry) but you can get round this by spashing on pvc bonding available from any builder suppliers. 
4. Use Quinn lite for internal walls only. Do not attach water pipes to them as they amplify the noise.


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## thefisherman (6 Nov 2008)

i built my house with quinnlite blocks in the inner leaf with 60mm insulation in the cavity.the gables were built using standard blocks as i dont use the attic space.and every-one comments how warm the house is.the blocks are  not easy to lay as the mortar goes off very quickly so  i  wetted blocks before laying ,you can use glue instead of mortar which will improve insulation by 7-8%-.but you then will need different wall ties as inner leaf will be lower than outside leaf.they can be bonded and skimmed easy enough.i


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## Lak (7 Nov 2008)

Aereated concrete (Quinlite) blocks are perfect for drylining using either standard 12.5 or 9mm slabs and dry line compound. Dot and dab method

[broken link removed]


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## BarneyMc (12 Mar 2009)

Can anyone comment on how the Quinlite blocks stand up to wall fixings, especially attaching kitchen units?


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## Ancutza (12 Mar 2009)

Interesting thread this! Here in Romania it's pretty standard to use the type of block described but never as 'load-bearing'.  They are used to fill cast-in-situ reinforced concrete 'frames'.

The standard practice is to then insulate the foamed concrete block with polystyrene sheets up to 5 cm thick on the outside and then plaster over that, usually with a decorative render.  No need for a void between the outer and inner skins.  On the inside wooden softwood batons are fixed onto the wall and plasterboard applied over that having first filled the gap between the batons with insulation.

It's cheaper than the irish way of doing things and seems to resist water ingress just as well.  Bear in mind too that the winter here is much more severe than in Ireland and I've yet to visit a romanian new-build where cold or damp is an issue assuming the foundation has been insulated properly.


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## Claire1956 (27 Oct 2009)

Sorry to re-open this thread, but can anyone answer the questions about hanging from the Quinlite blocks - is there anything special that we need to do to hang pictures, shelves and kitchen units? I am keen to know as we are planning to use them for the inner leaf and internal walls. Thanks


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