I have been stripping paint off of a fire surround in my bedroom that
I thought was hardwood. However having taken the paint back on part of
the surround I have found out that it is not wood but some sort of
stone or concrete. How would I go about finding out if it is
sandstone, limestone or concrete etc.? I have never worked with stone
before so not sure how to identify different types.

I am not sure what to do from here. I would like to strip the paint
back and reveal the stonework. Who would be the right tradesman to
contact for this? A stonemason?

Apologies if these questions seem very simplistic, but I suppose any
question seems simplistic if you know the answer!!!!

Thanks for your time