Slate Approaching Oak Stairs

Q: We are installing slate tile on a floor up to the top edge of a stairway, but we don’t know how best to finish the edge along that top step. It’s pretty regular slate tile, about 1/4″ in thickness, and there will be cement board under it. We’re worried about both the appearance (the profile would reveal both the cement board and the cut edge of the slate) and the stability of the slate along that edge. Is there some kind of bull nosing product that you’d suggest or some other method of dealing with this edge?
The stairs themselves have oak treads and painted wood risers – no carpeting. The floor which we are laying slate on currently has linoleum on it and is edged at the top with a metal strip, which will be removed when we lay the slate.
Thanks in advance.
Lisa D.
A: With wood stairs, what you could try doing is having the top of the stairs done in a small area of Oak to match the treads and then use a transition to move between the oak and slate. Essentially you can make a small wood landing before the stairs. Beyond that, you might look into any custom work that could make the slate into a proper stair nosing the give the smooth rounded look like the treads on your stairs.
Finding someone to work with the slate may be a bit more difficult than getting oak to make a small landing and nose the top of the stairs. To be honest, the only slate stairs I have seen had been squared off and did not use a bull nose like edge at all, so the edge of the tread sat even with the riser using solid slate treads and risers.