Although the chances of a burglar running away with your safe are minimized when your safe is bolted down to your floor, many times people find themselves in situations where this is not a viable option.
This could be because you are keeping your safe in a house that is rented, you don’t have floor space in a secure and protected area of your house, you move a lot, or just that you have expensive wooden floors are not meant for drilling holes into.
So what could be an alternative to bolting safe to the floor? Well, many options are just as secure and timid as bolting your safe to the floor. Some of them are as follows:
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Bolting the Safe to a Concrete or Steel Slab
A great option that you can try is bolting your safe to a steel or concrete slab. You must ensure that the slab you are getting is heavy enough for a burglar to not be able to carry it outside.
Go for a slab that is at least 1/4th inch thick. Anything wider than that will also do. Be it steel or concrete, try and get a slab that is wider than the door frame of your room.
This will ensure that the person will have to rotate the safe to get it outside, making the job more difficult.
Align the bolts into the safe with your slab and drill them in accordingly. Place the slab anywhere you want without damaging your floors.
Bolting the Safe to the Wall
Most rental apartments or houses are more lenient when it comes to drilling holes into a wall. So, a great option is to hang your safe to an empty wall.
This option is sometimes even more effective than bolting your safe to a floor.
Drill and cut a hole that is the same size as your gun safe into the wall of your choice. Put the safe inside and drill the bolts from the inside of the safe into the wall.
Now your safe is secure and easy to access as well.
Bolting the Safe to Large Wooden Pallets
Wooden pallets are quite heavy and available in large sizes as well. To keep your safe from getting stolen, you can bolt the thing to large wooden pallets that cannot be removed through your door without being deconstructed.
Install a wooden pallet in the room you want your safe in. Then screw the safe to the pallet from the inside in. Besides making the safe impossible to relocate, this also adds extra weight to the object.
Add Additional Weight to the Safe
If you can get your hands on some pretty heavy weights, this might be a great option to keep your valuable safe shielded. This method involves no drilling!
Place the safe in your desired room, and then proceed to add the weights into the safe. If you can’t get actual weight plates or slabs, you can go for any heavy object that you have in your house.
Dumbbells, hand weights, or even a weighty centerpiece will do. The object just needs to be heavy enough to make carrying out the safe difficult. Keep in mind this method does reduce the amount of space you have left inside the compartment.
Use Security Cable
Security cables allow you to strap down your safe to practically any sturdy and stable object. The cable is strong and cannot be torn easily. Many safe companies make security cables that are compatible with their safe models, but you can also get universal ones.
One end of the cable goes into your safe through the opening. You strap and tie the other end around any strong construction. This could be a pillar, a bed frame, or a pipe. A mobile option like this that helps you strap down your safe to anything is great to have if you travel a lot.
Hide under the Floorboard
You can still hide your safe underneath your floors without having to drill a hole in them. This procedure only works for certain types of floors and floorboards that have space underneath them. As most of the pipes are placed underneath the floors, you might have difficulty finding a spot with enough space.
One thing to remember is that your floors might not go back to the way they were after you are done with the process.
For this procedure, you will need a professional to come in and prop up your floorboards using a prying tool or a grinder. Place your safe inside and close the compartment with the floorboards.
Glue the Safe to the Floor
Although this process does some damage to your floors, it does work. If you are looking for a hassle and drill-free option to store your gun safe, this might be a good idea.
All you need for this method is high industrial-strength polymer glue. Trace your safe’s dimensions on to the floor, then add glue to the edges and also the center, place the safe on top, let the glue dry, and you’re good to go! No one will be able to get your safe out of this sticky mess.
Bolting with Another Safe
Bolting two or more safes together is similar to adding weights into your safes. As the safe becomes heavier and larger, running away with the thing becomes harder.
If you have more than one safe in your house, you can screw them together. You can also use high-strength glue to hold the safes together. Any method that makes separating the two safes back-breaking will do. This way relocating the safes becomes hard and quite impossible without having to use strenuous labor or help.
Other Methods
You could also take a look at some of these uncommon ways to bolt a safe. For example
Bolt It into Your Closet
If you have a walk-in closet or a wardrobe with ample space, you could screw the safe inside.
Tie It to a Sturdy Object
Chains can be used to tie a safe to your bed frame, a pillar, or even a table.
Store in Secret Compartments
Restricted areas in your house like an underground compartment can be used to store a safe.
Conclusion
You can choose many ways to keep your safe protected without having to touch your floor. In fact, these non-traditional ways of storing a safe are what make them more secure. Ways of removing the safe become unpredictable, which throws burglars off.
Figure out which method works best for you. If needed, you can combine one or two of the tricks and come up with your own substitute.
There are many alternatives to bolting a safe to the floor. Many of the options are easy to access and more secure as well.