Fire surround

[littlejo]

I'm moving to a house with an open fire - the surround is built of brick/stone. I would like to disguise the surroud and make it quite plain - can I cover the stone with fireproof MDF and paint???
All help/advice/alternatives gratefully recieved
Ta
Jo

 

[theWilse]

I have an open fire, and I would not recommend mdf.

I had and old pine surround that I didn't like, so I just took it off, we now just have a hole!

I rendered upto the hole and through the course of a winters' fire, the rendering has started to crack slightly, as when the fire is in full swing, it's really hot.

I suppose people have wooden fire surrounds, it all depends on how far from the aperture/hole your MDF would be.

One thing that I can tell you for sure is that OAK has a way better fire retardant than most woods as it's very tough.

this is probably no help?

but it's my 2 pen'th worth

wilse