Lisa J Thompson
The easiest and best way to secure your safe is to bolt it to the floor. However, this method may not be the best option for everyone, especially for those people who are just renting an apartment or a home.
After all, no landlord in their right mind would allow you to bolt your safe to the floor as it can leave permanent damage to their property.
And if you move a lot, bolting the safe to the floor, removing it then bolting it to the floor of your new apartment can be a bit of a hassle.
So what can you do to remedy this? Read this article to discover the most effective ways on how to secure a safe without bolting it to the floor.
Related Buyer’s guide:
The Different Ways on How to Secure a Safe Without Bolting it to the Floor
You will be surprised by the amount of alternative options that you have. After all, the goal here is simple reduce the portability of your home security safe, so the burglars will find it difficult to carry it with them.
Below are some of the ways on how you can do that without bolting your safe to the floor:
Technique #1: Bold the safe to a steel slab.
One option that you may look into is bolting the safe to piece of large pallet or steel. In this way, it will be too heavy or large for the burglar to carry it outside your home. Doing this is fairly simple, and anyone can do it.
What You Will Need:
– ¼ inch thick Steel piece
The steel must be thick so it can make your safe heavier. On the other hand, it must have a width that is larger than your doorframe so the burglar has to turn the safe to its side so it could fit the door.
– Drill
– The right size of screw
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Step 1: Prepare the safe and the steel slab.
Place the steel slab on the place where you plan on putting your safe. Afterward, mount the safe on it.
Step 2: Bolt yourself to the steel slab.
After positioning the safe and the steel slab, look for the bolt down holes at the bottom part of the safe then drill holes to the steel slab that coincides with the position of those bolt down holes. After creating the holes, proceed on bolting the safe to the steel.
Technique #2: Add weight to it.
This is the easiest and most cost-effective way to secure your safe without bolting it to the floor.
What you will Need:
– Weights
If you don’t have weights, you can use anything in your home that weights 50 pounds or more.
Step 1: Place the safe in your desired location.
Put the safe in your target location, preferably somewhere concealed so both visitors and potential burglars will not easily spot it.
Step 2: Put the heavy items inside the safe.
Arrange the weights at the bottom part of your safe before placing your valuable items inside. In this way, the safe will be too heavy for the burglars to lift and cay easily.
Related post:
- Choose the Best Wall Safe – Ultimate Buying Guide
Technique #3: Hide it under the floorboards.
Just because you can’t drill holes in your floor, it doesn’t mean that you still can’t take advantage of your floor.
However, this technique will only work for wooden floorboards. This technique allows you to hide your safe and at the same time, save space in your home.
Keep in mind also that this technique will have a few disadvantages. For one, this option will not provide you easy access to your safe.
Also, there is a chance that you may damage the floorboard or it may not go back to the similar fashion that it was installed. To prevent this, you may want to hire a professional to do this for you.
But if you are confident that you can do the job properly, here are the materials and steps that you need to know:
What You Will Need:
– Prying Tool
You will use this to pry off the wooden floorboard.
– Grinder
If your floorboards are too long, you can use this to slice the floors so you can easily prop them up.
Step 1: Prop the floorboards up.
Using a grinder and the prying tool, prop up the floorboards so you can get access to the space under them. Prop as many floorboards as you can to accommodate the size of your safe.
To know how to lift floorboards, watch the video below
Step 2: Ensure that there is enough space under the floorboards for your safe.
Oftentimes, there are pipes and under mechanisms under the floorboards. Check to see if it has. If there are none, you can proceed on putting the safe under the floorboards.
Step 3: Place the floorboards back.
Once the safe is already in place, you can arrange the floorboards on top of it. You do not have to seal the floorboards so you can have access to your safe any time you may need it.
Technique #4: Glue the safe to the floor.
If you are looking for a hassle-free way to secure your safe to the floor without bolting it, this is the option that you may want to do.
What You Will Need:
– High-strength Polymer Glues
This is also called super glue and is often used for projects that involve the use of wood, glass, ceramic or metals.
Step 1: Measure the safe and trace it to the floor.
Look for an ideal area to place your safe in. Carry the safe to that area then use a tape to trace the size of the safe.
Step 2: Glue the safe to the floor.
After getting the dimensions of the safe, use the traced part as a guide on where you should put your glue. Apply the glue in dots all over the surface of the traced floor.
You can use a scraper to spread the glue evenly. Make sure not to put too much glue as a little can already go a long way.
Related post:
- Where Should You Put Your Safe? Find Out Your ‘Best Spot’
- How to Install a Home Safe: Step-By-Step Guidelines
In Summary
Many people bolt their safes to the floors of their homes with the goal of making your safe too difficult to carry.
When you do this, the burglars will not bother stealing it as it will take too much of their time and energy to do so.
If you are not allowed to bolt the safe to the floor, you can find plenty of methods on how to secure a safe without bolting it to the floor.
These methods range from simple to complicated, but if there’s one thing that is same with all of them, it is the fact that they are all effective in securing your safe at home.
But aside from securing your safe to the floor, you also need to make sure that the burglar will have a hard time opening the safe and getting its contents.
You can do this by using a code that is hard to guess or investing in a safe with advanced biometric system.
Related Video: How to lift floorboards
Source: Safetyhub
