Con cosas como esta, se recomienda resolver usando ItemDecoration, ya que están diseñadas para eso.
public class ListSpacingDecoration extends RecyclerView.ItemDecoration {
private static final int VERTICAL = OrientationHelper.VERTICAL;
private int orientation = -1;
private int spanCount = -1;
private int spacing;
public ListSpacingDecoration(Context context, @DimenRes int spacingDimen) {
spacing = context.getResources().getDimensionPixelSize(spacingDimen);
}
public ListSpacingDecoration(int spacingPx) {
spacing = spacingPx;
}
@Override
public void getItemOffsets(Rect outRect, View view, RecyclerView parent, RecyclerView.State state) {
super.getItemOffsets(outRect, view, parent, state);
if (orientation == -1) {
orientation = getOrientation(parent);
}
if (spanCount == -1) {
spanCount = getTotalSpan(parent);
}
int childCount = parent.getLayoutManager().getItemCount();
int childIndex = parent.getChildAdapterPosition(view);
int itemSpanSize = getItemSpanSize(parent, childIndex);
int spanIndex = getItemSpanIndex(parent, childIndex);
if (spanCount < 1) return;
setSpacings(outRect, parent, childCount, childIndex, itemSpanSize, spanIndex);
}
protected void setSpacings(Rect outRect, RecyclerView parent, int childCount, int childIndex, int itemSpanSize, int spanIndex) {
if (isBottomEdge(parent, childCount, childIndex, itemSpanSize, spanIndex)) {
outRect.bottom = spacing;
}
}
@SuppressWarnings("all")
protected int getTotalSpan(RecyclerView parent) {
RecyclerView.LayoutManager mgr = parent.getLayoutManager();
if (mgr instanceof GridLayoutManager) {
return ((GridLayoutManager) mgr).getSpanCount();
} else if (mgr instanceof StaggeredGridLayoutManager) {
return ((StaggeredGridLayoutManager) mgr).getSpanCount();
} else if (mgr instanceof LinearLayoutManager) {
return 1;
}
return -1;
}
@SuppressWarnings("all")
protected int getItemSpanSize(RecyclerView parent, int childIndex) {
RecyclerView.LayoutManager mgr = parent.getLayoutManager();
if (mgr instanceof GridLayoutManager) {
return ((GridLayoutManager) mgr).getSpanSizeLookup().getSpanSize(childIndex);
} else if (mgr instanceof StaggeredGridLayoutManager) {
return 1;
} else if (mgr instanceof LinearLayoutManager) {
return 1;
}
return -1;
}
@SuppressWarnings("all")
protected int getItemSpanIndex(RecyclerView parent, int childIndex) {
RecyclerView.LayoutManager mgr = parent.getLayoutManager();
if (mgr instanceof GridLayoutManager) {
return ((GridLayoutManager) mgr).getSpanSizeLookup().getSpanIndex(childIndex, spanCount);
} else if (mgr instanceof StaggeredGridLayoutManager) {
return childIndex % spanCount;
} else if (mgr instanceof LinearLayoutManager) {
return 0;
}
return -1;
}
@SuppressWarnings("all")
protected int getOrientation(RecyclerView parent) {
RecyclerView.LayoutManager mgr = parent.getLayoutManager();
if (mgr instanceof LinearLayoutManager) {
return ((LinearLayoutManager) mgr).getOrientation();
} else if (mgr instanceof GridLayoutManager) {
return ((GridLayoutManager) mgr).getOrientation();
} else if (mgr instanceof StaggeredGridLayoutManager) {
return ((StaggeredGridLayoutManager) mgr).getOrientation();
}
return VERTICAL;
}
protected boolean isBottomEdge(RecyclerView parent, int childCount, int childIndex, int itemSpanSize, int spanIndex) {
if (orientation == VERTICAL) {
return isLastItemEdgeValid((childIndex >= childCount - spanCount), parent, childCount, childIndex, spanIndex);
} else {
return (spanIndex + itemSpanSize) == spanCount;
}
}
protected boolean isLastItemEdgeValid(boolean isOneOfLastItems, RecyclerView parent, int childCount, int childIndex, int spanIndex) {
int totalSpanRemaining = 0;
if (isOneOfLastItems) {
for (int i = childIndex; i < childCount; i++) {
totalSpanRemaining = totalSpanRemaining + getItemSpanSize(parent, i);
}
}
return isOneOfLastItems && (totalSpanRemaining <= spanCount - spanIndex);
}
}
Copié una edición de mi respuesta original aquí, que en realidad es para espacios iguales, pero es el mismo concepto.