Brown composite deck boards being laid across timber joists

Composite Decking in Shawnee, KS

Capped composite and cellular PVC, gapped the way the warranty actually requires, over framing we check and tape before the first board goes down.

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Also Available

Every Deck Service We Offer

Composite work often starts as a re-deck and turns into railings too. Same crew for all of it.

Deck frame of joists and beams resting on concrete pier blocks

Deck Building

New decks from the pier up, drawn to the 2018 IRC Shawnee adopted.

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Composite Decking

Capped composite and PVC boards, gapped the way the warranty requires.

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Old deck boards with dark paint flaking away from the grain

Deck Repair

Rotted joists, spongy boards, and ledgers that were never bolted or flashed.

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Red-painted deck steps and rail with the finish worn through

Deck Staining

Cleaned, brightened, dried to moisture, then finished in a dry window.

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Raised deck on posts with a painted guard rail and open stairs

Deck Railings

Guards at 36 inches with no opening a 4-inch sphere can pass through.

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Screened porch with mesh panels under a slatted timber roof

Covered Decks

Pergolas, solid roofs, and screened porches on framing sized to carry them.

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Scope

What Composite Work Involves Here

Boards are the easy part. The value is in the substructure underneath and in following the maker's instructions exactly, because those instructions are what the warranty is written against.

Joist tape underneath

Butyl along joist and beam tops, self-sealing around every fastener that goes through it.

Gaps set for heat

Composite expands. Side gaps run 1/8 to 3/16 inch, and 3/16 minimum where a board meets a post.

Board temperature checked

Over about 90 F a dark board is near full expansion, so the tighter end of the range applies.

Spacing to the layout

16 inches on center for most runs, tightened to 12 for diagonal and heavy-duty layouts.

One clip system, not three

Mixing brands of grooved board, clip, and screw creates both spacing and warranty problems.

An ICC-ES report behind it

Composite gets code recognition through ASTM D7032 testing. We use boards a building official can approve.

How a Composite Job Comes Together

Four steps, and the frame gets judged honestly before any new board is ordered.

Call

Tell us the deck size, the age, and whether you are replacing boards or starting over. We book a look.

Frame Check

We probe joists, posts, and the ledger with an awl. Sound framing can be re-decked. Soft framing cannot.

Board Choice

You pick the line and color, and the price goes in writing.

Install

Tape the frame, set the gaps, run the hidden fasteners, then trim, fascia, and a final clean.

Deck joists laid out on pier blocks over an old concrete slab

3/16Heat Gap

What Kansas Summers Do to a Composite Deck

Composite moves with temperature, not with moisture, and that flips the installation rules that wood taught everyone. A dark board in a Shawnee July runs far hotter than the air does, so the gap gets set against the surface temperature of the board itself rather than the forecast. Boards laid too tight on a hot day buckle in the next heat wave; boards laid too loose on a cold morning leave gaps you can lose a phone through. We re-deck over sound framing, build new composite decks outright, and fit the matching railings, fascia, and stairs. Boards are the visible half of this job. What sits under them decides how long it lasts.

✓ Capped composite or PVC
✓ Hidden fastener systems
✓ Joist tape included
✓ Re-deck over sound framing
✓ Matching fascia and trim
✓ Manufacturer spec followed

Call (913) 786-3911 ☎ or request a quote

The Difference

Composite vs Treated Pine

	Pressure-Treated Pine	Capped Composite
Stain and seal cycle	Clean and re-stain on a cycle	Never
Surface protection	Bare wood, no factory cap	Co-extruded polymer cap
Upfront cost	The cheapest decking to install	Costs more to install
Board movement	Wet boards shrink after install	Expands and contracts with heat
Code path	Prescriptive IRC span tables	ASTM D7032 and an ICC-ES report
Joist spacing	16 in on center for most layouts	12 in for diagonal layouts

HOW WE BUILD

36-Inch Piers

Footings reach the depth Shawnee sets, below frost.

Flashed Ledgers

Metal over every ledger before decking covers it.

Taped Framing

Butyl along joist tops, where rot actually starts.

County Coverage

Shawnee, Lenexa, Overland Park, and the rest of Johnson County.

Our Promise

If your frame is sound, I will tell you so and re-deck it, because that saves you the price of a structure you already own. If it is not sound, I will show you the soft spot with an awl rather than ask you to take my word for it.

Service Area

Deck Work Across Johnson County

We cover Shawnee first, then the rest of Johnson County: Lenexa, Overland Park, Merriam, Mission, Olathe, Prairie Village, Roeland Park, Lake Quivira, and De Soto. Bonner Springs, Edwardsville, and the Kansas City, KS side are in range too. Permit rules change at the city line, so we confirm which office your address answers to.

Shawnee Lenexa Overland Park Merriam Mission Olathe Prairie Village Roeland Park Lake Quivira De Soto Bonner Springs Edwardsville Kansas City, KS Woodsonia Grey Oaks Monticello Lakeview Estates Bristol Highlands

Questions

Composite Questions in Shawnee

Installed composite in the Kansas City metro typically runs $40 to $93 per square foot. The spread is real and it depends on whether you are re-decking over framing you already have or paying for a whole new structure, and on the railing, which can rival the boards for cost. We price the frame and the surface as separate lines so you can see which is which.

If the frame is sound, yes, and it is often the best value on the whole job. We probe the joists, posts, ledger, and stair stringers with an awl first. Surface-only damage over good framing is a re-deck. Rot in the framing, the posts, or the ledger is a replacement.

Yes, and darker boards get hotter. That is a comfort question in July and an installation question all year, because a board that is already near full thermal expansion needs the tighter end of its gap range. Lighter colors run cooler underfoot.

Composite is wood flour mixed with polymer, usually with a co-extruded cap on the exposed faces. Cellular PVC has no wood fiber in it at all, so there is nothing in the board for water or mould to work on. PVC is lighter and costs more, and it tends to be the answer for pool decks and shaded, damp spots.

The material makes no difference to the permit. What triggers it is the deck: more than 30 inches above the adjoining ground at any point, or a solid roof over it, and the county guideline asks for one before you alter or replace a deck at all.

Because a board run diagonally spans further between joists than one run straight across. Most composite goes down over joists 16 inches on center. Diagonal and heavy-duty layouts drop to 12. Getting this wrong shows up as bounce and sag, not as an immediate failure.

Ready to Talk About Your Deck?

Call and tell us what you have in mind. We walk the site, take measurements, and put the number in writing before a single board is ordered.

(913) 786-3911

Mon to Sat, 7am to 6pm

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