Anchoring a safe

[Ranger431]

Looking to anchor a safe to the concrete slab of a house. Did a little research and it seems drop in anchors would be the way to go, because when you remove the bolt they are flush, and at some point I may have to remove the safe either to get a bigger one or to relocate.

Are there any other options I may be overlooking? Are the anchors just a Lowes / Home Depot item?

Sorry for thew basic questions, just never had a safe in a spot where it seemed to need to be anchored.

[peejman]

Put a moisture barrier between the safe and the concrete.  Yes, the anchors can usually be found at any hardware store. 

[NashvilleStage]

Assuming that you'll use pretty beefy bolts & expanding-type concrete anchors, you'll want to rent a hammer drill or rotary hammer to make the holes with. Don't bother trying to use a regular drill; even with a carbide masonry bit, it will take FOREVER to drill even one hole in concrete. Make sure to use the proper size bit for the anchor, as they depend on expansion to properly grip the sides of the hole. All but the smallest hammer drills use bits with a special shank, called "SDS" bits. You can rent a drill from Sunbelt for around $40 for the day, and rental bits are around $5.

[av88tor]

We have bolted down thousands of safes in the past 20 years and I agree with what NashvilleStage recommended.  We use a "TapCon" bit that can be removed if you ever move the safe.   If you have any questions give us a call at 615-255-0500.

Mark
The Safe House

[JWC]

I used Red Head's on mine. I like them better than Tapcons. But both would work. A little more work with Red Heads cause you gotta bang them in. And if you ever want to move the safe it has to go over the bolts and once moved there will be bolts sticking up. But I figured if it ever came to that I'll just cut them off with a grinder

[10-Ring]

Good advice here, I'll offer a bit more.  Don't use sleeve anchors.  I didn't think anything about it and picked some up the last time I anchored my safe.  Once you install them you have to pick the safe straight up o clear them.  I only got one in before I realized I screwed up and it wasn't a big deal.  Drop in anchors will allow you to simply remove the bolts from the inside of the safe and then move the safe.  Just as secure but will make moving much easier if desired in the future. 

[Patton]

It has been a long time sense I say it done but some people have mounted safes to 1/4" thick steel plates, the bigger the better. The thought was if it is mounted to a plate large enough no one can pick the safe up without standing on the plate, nor get the plate out of the house while attached to a safe. You would want to use carriage bolts on the bottom to get the plate close to the floor and to prevent easy removal without opening the safe.

[Ranger431]

I will be mounting it to a slab foundation of the house in a closet, so there will be carpet and a pad between the safe and the concrete. Would like something that mounts flush. I have a hammer drill, so that part is easy.

[peejman]

Give some thought to what you'd do if you ever have to replace that carpet.

[Ranger431]

Not following you here. If I used flush mounting tap in anchors, you could just lift the safe out, and do whatever you wanted, right?

[peejman]

Depends on how heavy the safe is and how easy/difficult it is to move it.  If it's bolted down, jammed full of stuff, and weighs 9000 lbs.... moving it to replace that square of carpet under it can be rather a task. 

[Erik88]

Question- Being in FL my house is on a concrete slab. I was hoping to get a safe and put it in my walk-in closet which is carpeted. Are you all suggesting I need to put something in between the carpet and the safe to prevent moisture? If so, what would you recommend? 

 

Also- is it foolish for me to NOT bolt it down? 

[peejman]

Question- Being in FL my house is on a concrete slab. I was hoping to get a safe and put it in my walk-in closet which is carpeted. Are you all suggesting I need to put something in between the carpet and the safe to prevent moisture? If so, what would you recommend? 

 

While in theory, there's already a moisture barrier between the concrete and your carpet, I would put something like a piece of tyvek house wrap between the safe and the floor. 

 

 

 

 

Also- is it foolish for me to NOT bolt it down?

 

 

Up to you...  IMHO, if a thief wants it, they'll get it.  Bolting it down will only slow a dedicated thief down a minute or so.  I think the safe alone would deter the "smash & grab" type, assuming its a big heavy one.  If it was light enough that a couple guys could get it with an appliance dolly, I'd bolt it down.  The doors on some safes can be heavy enough that the safe may be unstable when the door is fully open and it's not bolted down.