Tile and Stone Installation Contractor Insurance

From stylish ceramic tile to elegant marble and granite, tile and stone contractors bring impressive finishes to homes and commercial settings across America. As a tile pro, you know that impeccable installation is crucial for creating finishes that wow customers.

However, performing tile work also comes with substantial risks ranging from liability claims to workplace injuries.

Proper business insurance for tile contractors is crucial to protecting your finances and business assets if the unexpected occurs.  

This article outlines essential commercial insurance coverages tile contractors need, including:

• General liability insurance
• Professional liability coverage
• Workers’ compensation coverage
• Commercial auto  insurance
• Tools and equipment insurance
• Builders risk / Installation floater
• Umbrella liability

Read on to learn more about installation insurance policies for tile contractors to defend your business against risks inherent in tile installation projects and stonework.

With the right insurance package, you can take on jobs with confidence, knowing you are covered.

As a heavy tile contractor, the risk of expensive legal action is always there. Injury claims, damaged property, completed operations lawsuits, or professional mistakes make your business vulnerable to substantial liability. 

General liability policy covers defense costs and liability payouts if customers or third parties sue your company for covered incidents up to the limits you select.

Key risks covered include:

• Bodily injury from slips, trips, or falls caused by unsafe installation
• Property damage from water leaks or other tilework issues  
• Completed operations claims after the job was done
• Professional mistakes resulting in the need to redo work
• Liability insurance provides vital protection if you or your employees are deemed negligent and responsible for damages or injuries during tile installation projects.

Consult with an insurance professional to select adequate liability limits reflecting the exposures your business faces.

Your vehicles are at a high risk daily while traveling between job sites, hauling heavy materials, and maneuvering on occupied properties. Potholes, debris strikes, collisions, and rollovers could all easily damage your truck, van, or trailer.  

Whether you are a business owner or general contractor, proper commercial auto insurance is essential to transfer this risk. It pays to repair your vehicles following covered accidents. And it covers medical payments and liability claims if your drivers cause an accident on the job. Key coverages include:

• Liability – Covers injuries or damage to others you are responsible for while driving 
• Collision – Repairs damage to your vehicles after an accident
• Comprehensive – Pays for losses from theft, floods, hail, fire and vandalism
• Medical payments – Provides immediate medical care for injured drivers 

Consult with an insurance provider to discuss your vehicle risks and learn more about auto insurance policy.

They can guide advisable liability limits, whether to carry collision/comprehensive coverage and any trailer exposures.

Don’t take chances with gaps in auto coverage.

Handling heavy materials and working with cutters and grinders creates the potential for workplace injuries.

Cuts, falls, strained muscles, and other claims could result in substantial lost time and medical expenses.

In most states, carrying proper workers compensation insurance is legally required.

This covers lost wages, medical bills, rehabilitation, and long-term care for employees injured on the job.

When an accident happens, workers’ comp allows you to focus on assisting your injured worker without worrying about claim costs.

Critical aspects of compliant tile contractor workers’ comp coverage include:  

• State-required limits based on payroll and risk classifications
• Claim administration expertise to facilitate medical care and return to work
• Discounted prescription drugs and access to provider networks

In addition to fulfilling state requirements, workers’ compensation insurance can help protect you from workplace injury claims—partner with an insurance carrier to customize the optimal program.

As a stone or tile professional, you rely on expensive tools like wet saws, laser levels, tile cutters, and mixers to deliver impeccable results. Having proper insurance to repair or replace these assets following losses is essential.  

Options for covering contractor equipment include:

Inland marine policy – Covers tools and equipment on a blanket basis with a total limit. Flexible for contractors with varying equipment needs.

Scheduled policy – Covers specific items like wet saws and laser systems with selected limits per item. Ideal for high-value equipment.  

Builders risk – Can include materials/equipment stored on a job site during tile installation projects.

Discuss the right approach with your insurance advisor based on your tools, materials, and exposures.

Don’t leave crucial equipment uninsured.

Performing major setting and installing ceramic tile contracts often means you have substantial money tied up in materials staged at the job site and work completed awaiting sign-off.

Fire, storms, floods, theft, and vandalism could all strike before the customer accepts and pays for the finished tilework. 

Installation floaters and builder’s risk policies cover materials and contracted work against losses while working on a customer’s property.

Having this coverage in place safeguards your invested time and materials if a catastrophic event damages unfinished work.

Even with general liability coverage, a serious injury claim could exceed your underlying policy’s limits.

This opens your business assets up to potential seizure without extra protection.

Adding an umbrella liability policy provides a second layer of coverage above your general liability maximum.

It provides $1 million to $5 million (or more) in additional protection to cover catastrophic claims that breach your primary policy limits. 

For tile and stone contractors taking on major installation projects, umbrella coverage is essential for locking down risks and avoiding massive settlements or judgments.

Discuss your protection needs with an insurance pro.