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I had a house fire in the kitchen and there are other areas of the house that had a lot of smoke which I’m not sure is damaged or if there’s some type of smoke reaction going on. We had 2 people come out. One person said that we’d need to replace it and another one said we could just paint over it. Is this dangerous to leave and just paint over these black dots?

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    You found a great way to identify where all the studs and screws are. A little impractical at scale, but neat nonetheless.
    – dandavis
    Commented Oct 19, 2023 at 20:29
  • While you have the studs so clearly marked, it might worth taking a picture of the walls with a tape measure laid out before you repaint - could be handy if you need to hang anything later on!
    – Nuclear Hoagie
    Commented Mar 27 at 19:56

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TL;DR Drywall Nails/Screws

You should check to be sure, but I'm fairly certain what you are seeing are the drywall nails (generally in older buildings) or screws. You can verify in a few ways:

  • Magnet (unless you have metal studs, but even then the screws will have a much stronger attraction to the magnet than the studs because the studs are behind 1/2" of drywall)
  • Stud finder - all nails/screws will be in studs
  • Spacing - if the vertical patterns of black dots are ~ 16" or 24" apart that matches standard stud spacing

I am not sure exactly why smoke would collect over drywall nails/screws, but that sure looks like what happened. I don't think it is any particular sign of danger. You may want to try cleaning. Some painted walls can be cleaned fairly well, but others (depending on age and quality of the paint) will fall apart if you try to clean them. If you paint over the existing walls, a good primer and/or sealer (there are many products and I have no experience/recommendations) is a must to prevent residual smoke stains from bleeding through the new paint.

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    Make sure you use a sealant that is designed for post-fire application. A good cleaning is mandatory before applying any coatings. Without proper restoration, you'll be treated to the smoky smell of a Texas BBQ joint for a long time.
    – RetiredATC
    Commented Oct 18, 2023 at 14:53
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The black dots are the screw heads that anchor the drywall.

There is no "danger" involved here as they are just marks and do not have an effect on your health.

However, there may be a weakening of the anchoring from the heat of the fire. There is no way to tell from a picture.

Generally it is difficult to get the smoke smell out without removing the drywall. Based on that premise and an abundance of caution, I would demand that the drywall be replaced. In lieu of the replacement, I would have a drywall contractor inspect the area and give an opinion and have the claim remain open until it can be verified that the paint will cure the smoke odor.

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Isherwood has it right. If the drywall is still securely fastened (fasteners are not compromised) and the drywall gypsum is not compromised then you can simply clean the drywall followed by applying a "fire restoration" grade primer/sealer to both block/lock in any residual odor to the drywall and it also allows the new paint to adhere evenly across the drywall so the paint does not experience any "bleed through." Smoke is different from soot. Smoke is the vapor in the air and soot is the unburned organic material that accumulates.

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    If you agree with another Answer, be sure to upvote it. You can take the tour to find out more about ranking Questions and Answers here.
    – Fredric Shope
    Commented Mar 27 at 21:34
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The heat of a fire is absorbed by the metal fasteners and keeps those locations warmer for longer, resulting in greater accumulation of soot. There may also be a magnetic component to the accumulation.

To resolve the issue, consider a cleanser designed for fire restoration, or simply seal the surface with a suitable primer/sealer.

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    i would think it stained while the nails were still colder and the FD raised the humidity sky-high, condensing water on those spots water that dissolved particulates and left a strain once dried.
    – dandavis
    Commented Oct 18, 2023 at 18:48

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