How to use the plank stagger layout planner
- Enter the plank length and the row length, which is the distance from wall to wall along the rows. Use one unit for every length.
- Enter the number of rows you will lay and the gap you want between end joints of neighboring rows. Your flooring instructions give the minimum.
- Enter the shortest piece you will accept at the start or end of any row. The tool never plans a piece shorter than this.
- Read the table: each row has a first piece length and a last piece length. Cut the first piece of each row from the end of a plank, and the table tells you the gap to the row above.
Formula
joints in a row at: first piece, first piece + plank, first piece + 2 x plank, ...
row gap = smallest distance between a joint in one row and a joint in the next row
stage 1: find the largest gap that can be kept between every pair of neighboring rows
stage 2: keep neighboring gaps at or above your wanted gap, make the gap two rows apart as large as possible
The first piece of each row is tried in small steps from the shortest piece up to a whole plank. The first row starts with a whole plank. Offcuts are reused by packing the cut pieces onto planks, longest first.
Twelve rows of 48 inch planks in a 171 inch room
With a wanted gap of 6 inches and a shortest piece of 8 inches, the best possible gap between neighboring rows is 21 inches, so the 6 inch rule is easy to meet. The tool then looks for the plan that keeps rows two apart as far from each other as possible, which also stops the same joint pattern from repeating every other row.
It finds a plan where joints two rows apart are at least 21 inches apart and neighboring rows are at least 10.5 inches apart, with first pieces tried in steps of half an inch. Every first and last piece is at least 8 inches long or a whole plank.
Why stagger joints
End joints in neighboring rows that line up make a weak, obvious seam and can stress the locking edge. Flooring makers publish a minimum distance between end joints in neighboring rows and a shortest allowed piece. Use their numbers, and treat this tool as a way to find a layout that respects them.
Joints repeat every plank length along a row, so two rows can never be more than half a plank apart. The planner stops you from asking for more than that.
Cutting from offcuts
The piece you cut off the end of one row is often the right size to start another row. The planks-to-buy figure packs all the cut pieces onto planks, longest first, so offcuts are reused when they fit. It does not account for damaged boards, color variation or expansion gaps at the walls.
Use the Flooring Calculator for the area and boxes, and the Cut List Optimizer if you want to cut other lengths from stock boards.
More layout tools
For other floor and board layouts, try the Tile Layout Calculator, Beam Deflection Calculator and Arch Template Calculator.
Assumptions and limits
- The room is a rectangle and every row has the same length.
- All planks are the same length and are laid end to end in straight rows.
- The first row starts with a whole plank at the left wall.
- Expansion gaps, undercut doorways and damaged planks are not included.
Frequently asked questions
How far apart should the end joints of plank flooring be?
It depends on the product. Makers give a minimum distance between end joints in neighboring rows in their installation guide, so use that number as the wanted gap and let the planner find the rows.
Why is there a limit of half a plank for the joint gap?
Joints repeat every plank length, so two rows cannot have all their joints more than half a plank apart. Asking for more is impossible for any layout.
What does the gap two rows apart mean?
It is the closest distance between a joint in one row and a joint in the row after the next. Keeping it large avoids the same pattern showing up in every other row.
Can I use this for tile or brick?
Yes for running bond style patterns, if you treat a tile like a plank and set the joint rule you want, but the tool does not model grout joints or the width of the pieces.