How to Secure a Safe to Prevent Theft

As a proud gun owner, you surely place great value on the safety and security of your firearms, which is why you probably store them inside a durable gun safe.

While most high-quality safes feature several secure locking mechanisms and physical designs to discourage unauthorized access, it’s important to remember that no safe is ever 100% secure.

In this article, we are going to provide you with some common methods for safeguarding your safe. As you read on, you will become aware of the various materials and conditions involved in every method so that you can make an informed decision about whether or not your gun safe is secure enough for your needs.

A safe helps prevent unauthorized access to firearms, which can be particularly important if you have children or other unauthorized individuals in your home. Additionally, gun safes are designed to protect firearms from damage caused by fire, water, and other hazards.

But does a safe protect your valuables from burglary? That depends.

Many people believe that if they just buy a safe and stick it somewhere, their valuables will be secure.

Unfortunately, even large and heavy safes are vulnerable to professional thieves who are determined to cart them away if they don’t have time to break into them on-site.

Even massive gun safes weighing over 400 pounds can be transported using a hand truck or knocked over to reveal their more vulnerable underside.

This is why safe manufacturers tend to recommend you bolt your safe to the floor. However, we understand that bolting your safe to the ground is not always a viable option.

The good news is there are plenty of measures of adding an extra layer of security to your safe, some of which don’t require nearly as much work as bolting it to the ground.

Securing your gun safe to the floor is typically regarded as the most secure option for discouraging theft. But if you lack concrete surfaces or know-how, it can be tricky to decide on a dependable alternative.

Let’s assume, for whatever reason, that you cannot (or will not) choose to bolt your safe to the floor of your home. What other options do you have to secure a safe?

Hide or conceal it first

Sometimes an effective method of securing a safe is one of the most obvious.

The first thing every safe owner should do is find a really good hiding spot. Most criminals don’t want to spend much time burglarizing someone’s home. They want their job to be quick and easy and don’t want to be snooping around for too long.

So the whole point of concealing your safe is to discourage burglars from trying to locate it.

There are many places to hide a safe depending on the circumstances. Here are just a few:

• Deep inside a closet
• In the basement
• In a utility shed
• Behind a fake wall
• Inside a cabinet
• Behind artwork

Consider this option to be the first layer of protection for securing a safe. You can always combine this option with other methods of securing a safe.

Seal it off with a barrier

You can consider building some type of barrier or enclosure around a safe to make it much harder to transport, but still offer access to the contents inside.

Essentially, you are constructing a secure enclosure around the safe (like a cage) – one that is not wide enough to transport the safe through.

You can set up this system using various items such as steel tubing, rebar, concrete blocks, or any other objects that are suitable for where you place the safe.

Securing a safe through this method may not be the most simple way, but it could just be the perfect solution for you.

Weigh it down (to make it heavier)

Adding more weight to a safe could be enough reason for burglars to ignore it and move on.

By strategically placing heavy materials such as weight plates, sheet steel, and scrap lead within the safe, such as on the floor, you can make it substantially harder to move.

You need to be careful the weights won’t easily shift around in case someone is attempting to move the safe. If you have a large safe with a generous storage compartment, you could consider storing valuables inside a steel lock box within the safe for added protection.

You can even stack heavy objects on the exterior of your safe to make it cumbersome and time-consuming for burglars trying to steal it.

However, please consider whether the floor where your safe is located can structurally support the additional weight.

Attach it to a sturdy object

This method works by connecting a security cable or chain to a large and sturdy object, such as a nearby column, pipe, steal beam, or piece of heavy furniture while the other end attaches to the safe.

You can even join two safes to form one larger safe. This works best when the two safes are of a similar model or have an identical design; as this will ensure that their anchor holes align for cable looping. Additionally, you could weld or bolt the safes together if necessary.

Doubling the weight of this unit and increasing its size will make transporting it much more challenging.

Glue the safe to the floor

Believe it or not, gluing a safe to the floor can be an effective method to secure it in place and prevent it from being moved or stolen.

The first step is to choose a suitable location for the safe. It should be in a place where you can easily access it but hidden from plain sight. Furthermore, ensure that the surface you plan to adhere the safe to is flat, level, and free from debris.

Next, secure the safe to its foundation with a robust adhesive. You can use an epoxy or construction adhesive that is rated for use on metal and concrete surfaces. Once the adhesive is applied, carefully position the safe in the desired location. Use a leveling tool to ensure the safe is perfectly level and adjust if necessary.

Once the adhesive is dry, try to move the safe. If it is properly secured, it should not move or shift. If it does, reapply the adhesive and follow the steps again.

To deter burglars from attempting to steal your valuable possessions, gun safes must be firmly fastened and secured. Although securing your safe to the floor, wall, or both is solid advice, not everyone has this option available.

If you find that most of the suggestions in this article are not ones that you prefer, then we offer the following advice:

1. Buy a high-quality safe that is small enough to conceal in a very inconspicuous location.
2. Invest in a large and heavy safe, preferably keeping it somewhere that would be difficult to move or transport for potential burglars (like the basement or closet).
3. Consider concealment furniture.

Concealment furniture is an excellent alternative to traditional safes and security boxes. These ingeniously crafted pieces of furniture offer hidden compartments that allow you to discreetly store your valuables, ranging from picture frames and nightstands to shelves.

To conclude, investing in a safe is imperative to safeguard its contents from robbery, fire damage, and unauthorized access. However, safes are not 100% protected from theft, so you should consider incorporating an additional layer of security to deter burglars as much as possible.