There are times when a building owner wants the outside of their building to look unique, or at least different from the buildings around it. When this happens, or when someone in the construction industry wants to make a building look a little different, quoins can be placed.
What is a Quoin?
A quoin is an external keystone found at the corners of brick or stone buildings. Quoins have been used for many years, but in the beginning they were just a way of connecting the corners of walls to form the right angle.
The quoins we know today were first used in ancient Rome. The Romans wanted to find a way to emphasize the appearance of the corners of buildings while at the same time making the building appear more stable than it was.
Quoins appeared in some European architecture after that, but they really started appearing everywhere during the Baroque and Renaissance eras. It was at that time that they were placed in the corners of buildings, but they were also placed around windows and doors.
The current meaning of quoin derives from both eras, which is why they are considered structurally important. That said, they do not add any additional structural solidity than a brick or stone rest of the walls would add in these same spaces.
Therefore, a quoin is used for decorative purposes only. You can create a quoin look by using any type of material, pattern, color or texture other than what you are using on the rest of the walls.
Creating Flush Quoins
You must size quoins correctly if you expect them to line up with the rest of the materials being used in a building. The thickness must also be the same, so that there is no interference with the drainage that may be present in other areas of the walls. The downside to freeing quoins is that you won't have the depth you would if you chose a different type of quoin.
Creating Projection Quoins
There may be times when you want to design quoins rather than flats and this is perfectly normal. However, you must take the necessary precautions when it comes to drainage or the walls can quickly become damaged. To easily achieve this look, you should use a material that is the thickness of the original material plus what you want the projection to be. This may involve tubular bricks and if this happens you may not get the full projection you want. Additionally, you must make sure that the core holes are not exposed at any time.
Creating path patterns
There are several path patterns you can use when it comes to rounded corners; however, it's best to stick to a four-inch pattern to avoid problems with the rest of the wall. For example, a stone or concrete quoin will generally be three or four bricks high and between three and five bricks long. To create symmetry, you may need to use a few half bricks, so the measurement above is recommended.
Of course, you can also have a quoin be between three and seven bricks tall, with between one and three regular bricks placed before the next set of quoins.
The best way to place the quoins for this is to use a notched pattern. This will allow you to switch which is facing out and which is facing in. This will save a little time, but not enough due to the large amount of work that is still required for the coins.
Tips for including Quoins
Professional quoin installers know that it takes twice as long to incorporate quoins into a building compared to just creating regular corners. This is due to the need to adequately fill mortar joints to prevent moisture infiltration.
It is also important to make sure the protruding quoins are securely attached to the supporting wall and this normally requires four ties together at each corner.
If you are considering projecting quoins, you may prefer 3/8th of an inch for projection because that amount creates a sufficient shadow line.
New uses for Quoin
Although quoin chants have been around since Roman times, you'll see them appearing in buildings around the world in a new way. Currently, cladding is being manufactured so that it looks like there are quoins at the corners of a building. This may seem a little strange, but it looks fantastic if, and that's a big if, it's done correctly.
The best part is that a person does not need to replace existing siding to install quoin on a building. Instead, a person can simply decide to change the exterior of their building and choose the type of quoin they like best.
While the quoin needs to match the rest of the exterior, the options are still practically endless when it comes to creating a great look without a lot of work.
The corners of the wedges simply fit together and a building can be transformed in a day or less!
There's a whole new world of quoins waiting out there, which means more and more people will know what this word means in the future. You'll want to jump on this bandwagon as soon as possible so you're prepared when quoin becomes the new mainframe buzzword in the construction world.
