Insurance for finish carpenters and millwork shops.

General liability, workers’ comp, auto, tools, and shop coverage, for trim carpenters, cabinet installers, and millwork shops that build in the shop and install on site.

What finish carpenters usually carry

General liability, $1M / $2M
Workers’ comp
Commercial auto
Tools and equipment
Shop building and contents
Installation floater
Equipment breakdown for shop machines

Watch for these in a finish carpentry policy

Shop and field in one businessIf you build cabinets or millwork in a shop and also install them, you are a manufacturer and a contractor. Both have to be on the policy, or the shop side may not be covered.
Sawdust and finishing roomsProperty carriers ask about dust collection and spray finishing. A finishing room that doesn’t meet fire code can limit the shop coverage or keep a carrier from writing it.
Cabinets waiting on siteCabinets delivered to a job and stacked in a garage are not covered by general liability. An installation floater covers them until the owner accepts the work.
Damage to your own productGeneral liability pays when a cabinet you built falls and hurts someone or cracks the countertop below it. It doesn’t pay to rebuild the cabinet itself.
Rough framing on the sideIf your crew also frames, even now and then, a carrier may class that payroll as framing, which rates much higher than trim work. Keep time records by task.

What GCs and builders ask finish carpenters for

Additional insuredFor ongoing and completed operations, naming the GC and usually the owner.
Primary and noncontributoryCG 20 01 or the contract’s own wording, so your policy answers before the GC’s.
Products-completed operations aggregateContracts often set it at $2M, since cabinets and trim stay in the building for decades.
Waiver of subrogationOn general liability and workers’ comp.

Questions finish carpenters ask

Straight answers.

The questions we hear most, answered plainly.

Does one policy cover my shop and my installs?

It can, if the policy lists both the shop work and the installation. Many carriers treat them as separate classes with separate rates, so describe both when you apply.

Is my CNC machine covered if it breaks down?

Property coverage answers for fire and theft. A mechanical or electrical breakdown needs equipment breakdown coverage, which is often added to the shop policy.

Do shop workers and installers need workers’ comp?

In most states, yes, and they are usually different classes. Shop payroll and field payroll are reported separately, so keep them apart in your records.