Soot
In other languages: Αιθάλη · السخام
The black, greasy dust that smoke leaves on walls and ceilings after a fire, or from a fireplace or stove. Paint straight over it without cleaning and priming and it comes back through.
Soot is made of fine particles of carbon and greasy residue from smoke. After a fire it coats walls, ceilings and every other surface, but thinner layers also build up over time above fireplaces, stoves and radiators and in kitchens.
Painting over it is not enough. Soot stops paint from bonding, and its stains bleed through the new paint. It is first cleaned off as carefully as possible, then the surfaces get a stain-blocking primer before the final paint.
After a fire, soot is usually the most visible problem, but not the only one. The heat may have loosened render and paint or stressed the concrete, so what is still sound is checked before any repair starts. The smell of smoke also lingers unless the surfaces are properly cleaned and sealed.
Where you'll see it
- Quick answersAfter a fire, is a coat of paint enough to get rid of the black?
- Damp and Fire-Damaged Rooms: The Work Before the PaintReading the Damage
- Damp and Fire-Damaged Rooms: The Work Before the PaintPlaster, Filler and Primer
- Damp and Fire-Damaged Rooms: The Work Before the PaintAfter a Fire
Restoring a Room After a Fire