Metal roofing
Architectural shingles
Tile roofing
GAF
Owens Corning
Flat & low-slopeFree roof inspection with deck photos before we talk money - GAF and Owens Corning certified installation
CertainTeed Ridge Vent Installation: The Orlando Owner’s Guide
We stock and install CertainTeed-compatible ridge vent systems throughout Orlando, with most installations completed for $425 to $780, including materials and labor. Most crews run these swaps in two to four hours once we’re on the roof, and we carry the common CertainTeed profiles on the truck so we’re not making you wait through a parts order. The way most Orlando homeowners find out their ridge vent has failed is the wet-ceiling surprise after a hard summer storm, or an attic that suddenly feels like a sauna every afternoon.
A failed ridge vent isn’t loud. It doesn’t snap or spark. It just stops moving air, and in a Central Florida attic that means heat builds, moisture hangs around, and your shingles start cooking from underneath. We’ve pulled off vent strips in Lake Nona and found the baffle material curling like old tape, the nail slots torn wide from hurricane-season wind cycles. That’s the part that bites you: a roof that still looks fine from the street while the ventilation that was protecting it gave up months ago.
Which CertainTeed Models This Applies To
The CertainTeed ridge vent line most homeowners in Orlando have is the ShingleVent II, though we also see plenty of Mountain Ridge and older Certaridge installations still in service. ShingleVent II is the most common because it was the one Orlando builders defaulted to through the 2000s and 2010s. It’s a 4-foot section, 11.25 inches wide, with an 18-square-inch net free area per linear foot, and its defining feature is the external baffle design that runs along the outside edge rather than down the middle.
That baffle placement matters for replacement. The old Certaridge profile sits flatter, and if you slap ShingleVent II sections over a deck cut for Certaridge you get a seam that doesn’t lay flush and a baffle that can catch wind the wrong way. Before we quote anything we measure the existing vent’s width and check the end-cap style, because CertainTeed used two different cap profiles over the years and one of them doesn’t interchange. On the OEM versus aftermarket question, our honest answer: for ridge vent we stay with the CertainTeed profile that’s already on the roof. Aftermarket equivalents that claim to match are usually close, but “close” on an 11.25-inch baffle means water finds the gap. We’ve done enough storm-season callbacks to know better.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your CertainTeed Ridge Vent Installation Is Failing
- Attic heat you can feel through the ceiling. When the ridge vent stops exhausting, attic temps in Orlando climb past 140°F in July. That heat pushes into the living space and your AC works against a ceiling that’s radiating warmth. The vent’s baffle has likely collapsed or clogged with years of dust and pollen, killing the airflow it was designed to create.
- Moisture stains on ceiling drywall near the roofline. Ridge vents rely on negative pressure to pull humid air out. When the vent fails, that damp air has nowhere to go but down. We see this in Orlando homes where the vent was under-sized from day one or blocked by a botched re-roof where the old vent was covered instead of replaced.
- Shingle granules collecting in gutters faster than usual. An attic that isn’t venting cooks shingles from the underside, which shortens their life and releases granules early. If you’re finding grit in the gutter after a dry week, the ridge vent is a prime suspect, especially if it’s original to the roof.
- Visible cracking or curling on the vent strip itself. Walk out to the curb and look at the ridge line. If the vent material looks wavy, cracked, or the nails are pulling loose, that’s the UV degradation and wind fatigue we see on 12- to 15-year-old vent strips in Orlando’s sun. Once the plastic gets brittle, the baffle starts breaking off in pieces.
- Mold smell in the attic or on the underside of the roof deck. A failed ridge vent traps moisture, and trapped moisture in a dark attic grows mold fast. This is the symptom we wish more homeowners caught early, because by the time you smell it inside the house, you’re already looking at decking repair alongside the vent replacement.
Replacement Cost & What’s Included
In Orlando, you’ll pay $425 to $780 for a full CertainTeed ridge vent replacement on a typical single-story ranch or two-story home with a 30- to 50-foot ridge line. The range covers the cost of the vent sections themselves, any replacement nails or sealant, removal of the failed vent, and full installation labor. Two-story homes run higher because of the roof access and safety setup, not because the materials change.
Every quote we give is written. You see the vent profile we’re installing, the linear feet, and the labor cost before we lift a tool. Our workmanship carries a 365-Day Done Right Promise: if the installation fails within a year, we make it right. That includes a free second visit if something we did doesn’t hold. We don’t charge change orders on a straightforward vent swap, and there’s no surprise line item for “miscellaneous materials” on the invoice. What we quote is what you pay.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterDIY or Call Us?
Here’s the honest split. You can safely check your ridge vent from the ground: look for curling edges, missing sections, or nails backing out. You can also check the attic for daylight gaps along the ridge or damp sheathing. But the actual replacement means working on the peak of a pitched roof, and in Orlando that’s often on a shingle surface that’s slick with morning humidity or afternoon rain.
We’ve also seen homeowners buy CertainTeed vent sections online, cut the old one out, and discover the deck opening under it is wrong for the new profile. Then they’ve got an open ridge with weather coming. The part isn’t dangerous like a garage spring, but the work is high and the details are unforgiving. If you’d rather have someone on the roof who’s done this hundreds of times, call (850) 757-3564. We’ll quote the job in writing before any work starts.
FAQs
A properly installed CertainTeed ShingleVent II typically lasts 12 to 18 years in Orlando’s climate, with UV exposure and hurricane-season wind cycles being the biggest factors in early failure. Coastal-adjacent neighborhoods with more wind and salt in the air tend toward the lower end of that range. If your vent is over 12 years old and showing any symptoms of failure, replacement is usually the better financial call over repeated spot repairs. Call (850) 757-3564 and we’ll assess your specific vent’s condition.
Small issues, like a few backed-out nails or a single cracked section, can sometimes be repaired if the surrounding vent material is still flexible and intact. But once the baffle material has gone brittle from UV exposure, repairs become a patchwork that fails again within a season or two. In most cases we see in Orlando, replacement costs less than repeated repair visits over time. We’ll give you an honest recommendation, not a sales pitch.
Most CertainTeed ridge vent replacements in Orlando take two to four hours, depending on ridge length, roof pitch, and whether the existing deck opening needs any adjustment. Simple single-story homes are often done in a morning. We haul away the old vent material and leave the roof clean, with no leftover nail debris in your yard. You’ll know the exact plan before we start.
We stock the common CertainTeed profiles, including ShingleVent II in the standard 4-foot sections, plus the matching end caps, on our service vehicles. That means most Orlando jobs don’t wait on a parts order. If you have an older Certaridge or Mountain Ridge profile, we’ll verify the exact width and style during the estimate and have the right sections with us on install day. Call (850) 757-3564 for a free written estimate.
Ready to Get Your Ridge Vent Replaced?
Mercer Roofing Co Orlando is your local source for CertainTeed ridge vent installation, and we also stock parts for GAF and Owens Corning roofs. We’re an independent Orlando roofing company, not affiliated with CertainTeed, which means we give you straight answers about what’s compatible and what’s not. Before any work starts, you get a written price. Before our technician arrives, you get their name and photo, and they’ll show a photo ID badge at the door. That’s the standard we hold every job to.
Grant Whitlock owns Mercer Roofing Co Orlando, and he’ll be the first to tell you: a roof shouldn’t be a mystery, let’s talk about what’s actually up there. Call (850) 757-3564 for your free written estimate. A real person answers, 24/7.
Written by Grant Whitlock, Owner, Mercer Roofing Co Orlando, serving Orlando and nearby areas.