Safe "house"

[jamestx10]

I got a liberty safe off of ebay this week. I plan on installing it into the closet in my home office.

Should I build something around it for added fire and theft protection?

If so, What should I build it out of, drywall and 2 x 4s, cinder block? I am comfortable working with drywall but would need pointers on making a cinder block box for it.

[blefferd]

if you are that worried about fire/theft i would have bought the national security liberty safe! your best bet get some good insurance.

i would go with cinderblock then Line-X it for added anti fragmentation protection incase the theif has dynomite or C-4..

edit* what did you pay for it and which one did you purchase never thought about pursing ebay for gun safes..

[jamestx10]

I got the 25 gun one http://www.libertysafe.com/safe_colonial.lasso

Paid $550 for it. It is local so no shipping fees. The safe is in perfect shape.

I am not super worried about it. But know that I could build a wall around the "weaker" sides and top for not a lot of money.

[blefferd]

i would just bolt it to the floor, most theives do not carry a cutting torch around with them.

[DanTheEldest]

Originally Posted by blefferd

i would just bolt it to the floor, most theives do not carry a cutting torch around with them.

Big +1 from somebody who used to work in the industry. Bolting it down to the floor with all four holes with the biggest anchors/sleeves you can find is the single best thing you can do to protect the contents of the safe. The vast majority of burglars these days are some variation of crackhead and typically won't make more than a clumsy effort to deal with a safe, particularly one that's secured strongly to the floor. And you'll be happy with the Liberty; the company I worked for sold a bunch of them in all different sizes and they were very popular.

[Krackels]

If you could cheaply frame up the area around the safe to make it look like a closet or pantry it would hide it well enough that all but the seriously determined and well informed theif would overlook it.

Ditto on bolting it down. Even my father's cheap Homak safe is bolted to the ground.

[jamestx10]

What kind of anchors should I get to bolt it through carpet into cement?

[DanTheEldest]

Originally Posted by jamestx10

What kind of anchors should I get to bolt it through carpet into cement?

ETA: Before I even start, if you have a post-tension foundation, drill with caution! You really don't want to damage or break one of those bands. I believe (and somebody else correct me) that they're usually at least four inches deep in the cement, so it shouldn't be a problem (theoretically), but if you decide to do it and hit metal, STOP! Move the safe a few inches and try again.

When we did bolt-downs, we used 1/2"-diameter lag bolts (I think 3" long? I can't remember), area washers, and the corresponding expanding sleeves like these:





They work really well in concrete if you don't wallow-out the hole for the sleeve. BTW: I think the sleeves we used with the 1/2" bolts were 9/16" outside diameter, but check at the hardware store to be sure.

Our typical install on carpet would go like this:

1. Locate the safe where you want it to go.
2. Mark the hole locations on the carpet with a permanent marker through the holes in the bottom of the safe.
3. Move the safe out of the way.
4. Cut out a roughly 2" square of carpet and pad where you marked each of the holes.
5. Move the safe back into place and re-mark the hole locations, this time by tracing with the marker on the cement. Be as precise as possible; there's not much wiggle-room with large diameter fasteners in cement. You'll need to use a hammerdrill with a good masonry bit--rent one or borrow from a friend if you don't have it.
6. Move the safe again.
7. Drill your sleeve holes, being sure to keep them nice and tight and as close to 90 degrees up and down as possible. When you're finished, remove the cement dust still in the holes with a shop vac or similar.
8. Insert the sleeves (right side up!!) flush with the level of the floor (you might have to tap them a bit with a hammer), put the safe back in place (for the last time ) and line up the holes with the sleeves, probably with a flashlight. Insert and torque bolts and washers pretty much as tight as you can get them. It's mighty hard to break a 1/2" lag bolt with a ratchet and just your arms.
9. In a week or two go back and re-torque the bolts, as the carpet will compact under the safe and loosten them up a bit.
10. Enjoy your much more secure safe.

This is just the way we did it; different methods and fasteners might also be used depending on who you talk to. Hope this helps.

[Krackels]

When I worked in Masonry we swore by tapcons.
http://www.concretescrews.com/

[mdjamesd]

Look for redhead anchors. they have a sleeve kinda like a lag shield, but it is contained by a flare on the end of the bolt.