How wide will the last row of flooring be?

The width of a room rarely divides evenly into whole planks, so the last row against the wall ends up as a narrower strip. A normal flooring calculator can’t see that strip – it works with area times a percentage. Draw the room in Parquet Planner and the width of the last row is shown, updating as you draw.

What “too narrow” means

Manufacturers often say the last row shouldn’t be narrower than about 4–5 cm (roughly 2 inches). Parquet Planner warns at about 7 cm, or a third of the plank width if the plank is wider.

Neither number is a law. They are about the same thing: a thin sliver is hard to click into place and looks bad.

When the strip is too narrow, the app says so like this: “Only … would remain for the last row — a sliver that narrow is hard to click in and looks bad. Rip the FIRST row down too, so the first and last rows are both about ….”

To rip a plank means to saw it lengthwise, so it gets narrower.

The fix is in the first row

You fix the last row before you lay it – by ripping the first row.

If the first row goes down whole, the last row can end up as a sliver. Rip the first row to the right width and both edges come out about equal. The app has a recommendation for this: “⚖ Our best: even end rows”.

The slider is called “Move the rows”. The number next to it is how much is cut off the first row, not the width it ends up. Under the slider both measurements are shown – “First row … · last row …” – and you see them change in the drawing as you drag.

The recommendation says the same thing with both numbers: “rip … off the first row, leaving it … wide”.

Sometimes the first row should go in whole. Then the button reads “⚖ Our best: lay the first row whole”, and the app explains that the last row still comes out wide enough to click in without trouble, so ripping both ends would only add a saw cut.

If the planks happen to fit the room exactly, there is no rip at the end. That is luck, not the norm.

What the planner shows – and what it doesn’t

Two things this page and the planner don’t do. There is no last-row figure for herringbone – herringbone meets the wall as angled pieces, not as a straight last row; see the herringbone flooring calculator. And this page doesn’t cover waste – the app’s pattern cards show the waste for your room, and the rules of thumb in percent are on the flooring waste calculator page.

The 7 cm warning is a warning, not a stop. You can try the whole range, and the recommendation puts the floor back in the most even position.

How to do it

  1. Open Parquet Planner.
  2. Draw the shape of the room. Add doors if there are any.
  3. Choose a straight layout (or half-offset / step).
  4. Enter the plank width – it says on the box.
  5. Read off the width of the last row. Drag “Move the rows” until both edges look right, or tap the recommendation.

Then you know how wide the last row will be before you buy – and how to rip the first row.

The usual calculation – area plus waste, divided by pack coverage – is on the laminate flooring calculator page. It tells you how many packs. It doesn’t tell you what the last row looks like.

See how wide the last row will be before you buy the floor.

Open Parquet Planner and draw the room

Frequently asked questions

How narrow can the last row of flooring be?

Manufacturers often say about 4–5 cm (roughly 2 inches). Parquet Planner warns at about 7 cm, or a third of the plank width if the plank is wide. Draw the room to see your own number rather than someone else’s rule of thumb.

Do I have to rip the first row too?

Only if the last row would otherwise be a sliver. The app tells you when it’s needed, and how wide the first row should then be.

How do I work out the width of the last row?

Take the width of the room minus the expansion gap on both sides, and see how many whole plank widths fit; what is left over is the last row. Drawing the room does the sum for you.

Can I see it without drawing the room?

Not reliably. The room width, the plank width and the expansion gap along the walls decide it together. A table doesn’t have your room.

Is there a saw template for the last row?

Yes, for straight, half-offset (brick) and step layouts. The cutting list tells you how wide to rip the last planks. Herringbone has no last row – there the edge pieces are in the cutting list, sorted by shape.

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