diff --git a/PROMS/Volian.Controls.Library/VlnFlexGrid.cs b/PROMS/Volian.Controls.Library/VlnFlexGrid.cs
index 1dd8d912..526e98cf 100644
--- a/PROMS/Volian.Controls.Library/VlnFlexGrid.cs
+++ b/PROMS/Volian.Controls.Library/VlnFlexGrid.cs
@@ -3777,6 +3777,19 @@ namespace Volian.Controls.Library
 							}
 							else // parsed text contains all dashes
 							{
+								// take a peek at the start of the next piece of table text to parse
+								// if it starts with a space, return, newline, or EndOfFile char, 
+								// then flag to merge the columns up to
+								// this point with the same columns in the next row
+								if (idx < txtbuff.Length - 1 && " \r\n\x02".IndexOf(txtbuff[idx + 1]) > 0)
+								{
+									int nextCol = (curCol + 1 > this.Cols.Count) ? curCol : curCol + 1;
+									if (!tci[curRow, nextCol].ColEnd)
+										tci[curRow, nextCol].MergeRowBellow = true;
+									//for (int c = nextCol; c >= 0; c--)
+									//    if (!tci[curRow, c].ColEnd)
+									//        tci[curRow, c].MergeRowBellow = true;
+								}
 								tci[curRow, curCol].ColEnd = true;
 								incRow = true;
 							}
@@ -3825,7 +3838,7 @@ namespace Volian.Controls.Library
 							else if (tstr.Length > 0) // parsed text is all dash characters
 							{
 								incRow = true;
-								if (curRow > 0) // merge the column in the previous row with this one
+								if (curRow > 0 && curCol > 0) // merge the column in the previous row with this one
 									tci[curRow - 1, curCol].MergeRowBellow = false;
 							}
 							// if were are that the end of the 16-bit text line, but not in the last column,