Lisa J Thompson
How to install a wall safe in your home or at your office to protect all of your belongings? Read our post to get everything you need to know about this task!
WAIT! Are you finding a way to protect your belongings? Then you are in the right place. We are here to help with details about installing a wall safe.
How To Install A Wall Safe?
Do you know that the majority of crimes committed are referred to as Theft/Larceny? Typical cases are personal belonging steal (backpack, bicycle, or locker) at a residential location.
What precautions should you take to secure your properties? From installing a home security system to locking your doors, there are a lot of ways to go.
A straightforward way to further secure valuable things inside your home or at your office is to install a wall safe.
A wall safe is a bolt down safe box to the wall. Even though it cannot completely stop thieves, it helps to slow down them effectively.
How to Install A Wall Safe?
These five easy steps below give you peace of mind when it comes to the installation of a wall safe.
Step 1: Determine the Location to Install Your Wall Safe
Determine the Location to Install Your Wall Safe
How to improve the security of a home/office wall safe? There is no better method than installing it in a not-so-hidden location. And, don’t tell anyone about it!
Determining the wall which will support your safe is the very first thing to do, even before purchasing the product. To make sure that your safe can complete its duty of protection, select the wall without hidden wiring or plumbing.
To avoid worrying about the hidden room behind your safe, buy the one fitted in the space within walls.
Why should this location be visible? Concealing your safe is not synonymous with compromising the overall convenience. For ease to access, spare enough space to create a hole approximately 1.5 meters up.
Some locations you should avoid include:
- Walls next to electrical boxes;
- On a bookshelf filled with magazines, newspapers, and books;
- In a kid’s room;
- Behind wall hangings, a large picture, or any heavy pieces of furniture;
- Bathroom walls with plumbing pipes running through;
- The area close to the air vents;
- Laundry rooms and closets;
A good rule of thumb: You should not set your wall safe at the regular foot traffic pattern inside your house. Ease to find means ease to pilfer.
The less noticeable to casual observation and potential intruders the location is, the safer your items are.
Step 2: Decide The Right Wall Safe To Buy
Decide The Right Wall Safe To Buy
Once you’ve determined the supporting wall, the next step is to buy a safe to fit in this space. From the size and the price to desired features, there’s a lot to consider.
How to choose the best wall safe for you? Below are some factors that influence your decision!
Size
The 15-inch width comes as a standard. Every single wall safe is designed to scale between the 2×4 support studs. Also, all wall safe models can fit within the depth of most standard wall.
To estimate the size of your safe, knowing the thickness of the wall is important.
You should place the 2×4 studs on where the safe will be installed. After that, mark the location of each stud. Finally, measure the straight line distance between them!
Standardly, when we measure the distance from the center, all studs should be 40.5 cm or 16 inches apart. And it should be about 13.75 inches from one stud to another. However, it is not always the case.
For example, those living in an old house might have trouble with the unqualified distance between stubs. If they want to narrow the opening for a wall safe, investing in the brackets as supporters is not a bad idea.
How to increase the storage space? Just increase the desired height of the wall safe. Sometimes, a customizable wall safe is worth buying when you cannot find the one fitting in the storage space.
Budget
There are hundreds of wall safe models with different price tags out there. But averagely, it costs you from $50 to $350 for a good wall safe.
The bigger the size is and the more features you want, the higher the price is. Expect to spend from $150 to $300 for a decent wall safe!
Other Great Features
Other necessary features to expect at a good wall safe are burglary resistance, water resistance, and fire resistance.
All of these features help protect your documents as well as other valuable things in case of any unpredicted events. Whether a fire suddenly breaks out or a water line pipe gets broken, there is no need to worry.
However, the needed levels of fire protection, waterproof, and theft resistance vary according to what you put inside the safe.
Step 3: Reveal Your Space
To make your safe less visible from casual observation, fixing it between existing studs in the chosen wall is important.
Next step? Use a carpenter’s level to make up a template on the wall demonstrating your safe’s size. Only when you create the straight and precise outline can you have a hole big enough to fit the safe.
Step 4: Cut Out a Hole Big Enough for Your Wall Safe
Cut Out a Hole Big Enough for Your Wall Safe
After you have carefully measured and marked the dimensions, the next step is to cut a hole into the chosen wall.
To make the safe sturdily mounted on the selected wall, you need to locate the support studs accurately.
Several ways to locate a wall stud are:
- Use a wire stud finder. In case you’ve missed a stud, a great alternative is a wire stud finder;
- Use a stud finder. Though a stud finder is easy to use, you sometimes have trouble with miscalculations;
- A solid sound is only produced when you tap on a location of a stud;
- Use a stud sensor or an optical inspection scope;
- Use a flashlight. This option works. But it is not really reliable.
Next step after studs are located? Use a level or a drywall knife to draw a 14.25-inch square onto the surfaces between the 2×4 studs. Then, the dry wall cut should be removed out.
The space should be big enough for you to fit your hand in.
PAY ATTENTION! You can find studs near light switches or electrical boxes. Don’t cut into electrical wiring!
Step 5: Fit the Safe Into Spaces And Secure the Safe
Fit the Safe Into Spaces And Secure the Safe
Place the safe into the hole. As it is heavy, make sure to keep the weight up with your hands! Fit the wall safe into the opening while the door is open. Make use of the four provided screws to attach the safe to the support studs.
Sometimes, you need to pre-drill holes. Once you’ve secured your wall safe in the opening, it’s time to insert a steel shelf! Finally, shut the safe door.
FAQs
How Long Does It Take To Fit A Wall Safe?
Expect to spend almost an hour finishing a wall-safe-installation project.
How Much Does It Cost?
What tools are needed to install a wall safe?
A tape measure or a measuring rule, drywall saw, keyhole saw, hammer, carpenters’ square, 24” long level, and driver are essentials. Also, you need a 90-degree right angle drill and a drywall knife with extra heavy-duty blades.
If you have to buy them all, it costs you from $180 to $200. But if you have one or some of them at home, it is much cheaper to install a wall safe.
Do you already have equipment in hand? It’s high time to get to work!
Related Post:
Where Can You Buy A Wall Safe?
You can purchase a wall safe at a lot of online marketplace and hardware stores. But the best place to buy a wall safe is a shop specializing in home safes.
Shopping at a registered shop gives you a chance to consult with a home safe expert. That’s when you can ask for his/her recommendation on the best option working for you!
Final Verdicts
A wall safe offers durable protection for your valuables even if exposed to extreme humidity and temperatures.
Having a wall safe installed is not a challenging task. However, before buying all the needed tools, you should consult with reliable contractors. Otherwise, at least you should finish reading our post.
Above is our guide on how to install a wall safe. You should closely follow our five steps above to get the expected result.
Hope that these five steps can help you protect your belongings!
