Hardwood Flooring Is Ideal for Installing Your Gun Safe
Hardwood flooring is one of the best surfaces for installing a gun safe. This type of flooring provides better security and stability than bolting your gun safe to a carpeted floor.
Here are four things you need to know about hardwood flooring and your new safe:
1. Can Hardwood Floors Hold a Safe?
A hardwood floor provides a stable base for installing a gun safe. Most wood floors can last for many years if they have been installed properly and haven’t been damaged by water or humidity. A lot depends on the type of hardwood and the floor’s traffic. Wood also adds additional “grab” for the bolts used to anchor your safe.
2. Will a Safe Damage Your Hardwood Floor?
Hardwood flooring is pretty forgiving. Scratches and scrapes can usually be buffed out of the wood. A slightly marred finish can be touched up with a little stain or touchup stick.
However, if you ever move your safe to a new location, the flooring may show signs that a heavy object has been sitting on it. Before installing your safe, ensure the spot you have chosen is level. This can help minimize the stress placed on your floor, as well as keep your planks from cracking. To anchor your safe, you'll have to screw bolts through the flooring into your subfloor.
3. Will Hardwood Floors Damage the Safe?
Hardwood flooring is not likely to damage your safe. If you live in a humid or flood-prone area, you may want to consider installing your safe on a base. Your safe would need to be bolted to that base, which would need to be bolted to your floor. This allows airflow under your safe to keep moisture from accruing. Moisture can damage both the safe and your hardwood floor. Using a base can also prevent corrosion to your safe’s floor bolts.
Just keep in mind that elevating your safe on a base could cause a security risk. If it's high enough, thieves can put a jack underneath it and tip your safe off the base, which makes it easier to haul off or pry the door off. You also won't be able to anchor the cinder blocks to your floor, or your safe to the blocks, which presents security and safety hazards. You may be able to anchor your safe to the wall, but be aware of the ramifications of elevating your safe on a base.
4. How to Protect Your Hardwood Floor
The best way to secure your gun safe is by bolting it to the floor. Of course, if you ever need to move your safe after it is bolted to your floor, you’ll have holes in your flooring. But these holes can be repaired by replacing the floorboards or simply filling them with wood putty. Installing your safe on top of a rubber mat can also help protect the wood flooring underneath from pressure marks.
If the idea of drilling into your hardwood floors makes you grimace, it may be possible to secure your safe by bolting it to wall studs. Just keep in mind that most safes come with pre-drilled anchoring holes in the floor, not the back wall. If you want to anchor your safe to your wall, you'll have to drill through the safe on your own.
Liberty Safe has the best customer service team in the industry. We’re eager to answer your questions about the best ways to install your gun safe. We always recommend that you have your safe delivered and installed by the pros, and we can help you find a safe mover who will do a fantastic job for you.
