ᐅ What kind of fireplace guard is recommended?

And do the exposed saw edges of the cladding still look presentable?

If you were referring to my post, no edges are visible.

We have the same. In my opinion, it is the best solution.

Important: If tiling next to vinyl flooring, do NOT match the colors exactly; instead, create a contrast. Otherwise, it looks inappropriate.

We have a coated steel plate that we place in front of the stove during the heating season. The floor throughout the room is hardwood. Since we only light the stove occasionally, we don’t remove the steel plate each time. The stove’s design includes a bench and a ledge made of about 20cm (8 inches) wide graywacke stone. In two years, not a single glowing piece has fallen from the chimney to the floor, and no sparks have flown.

On vinyl flooring, a heavy plate would leave an imprint; perhaps such a plate could be installed flush.

We had tiles in front of the fireplace—and throughout the rest of the room as well. 😀 At the time, we also considered the option with a step and a recessed glass panel (in combination with parquet flooring).