How To Install A Wall Safe With Pictures

Different security features and fireproofing abilities can increase the cost of your chosen safe.

Check the size of your walls if you feel they do not agree with these average measurements by finding the studs in your walls.

UL and Intertek rate wall safes according to the type of material they will protect and the length of time they will provide protection. Look on the safe itself or the packaging for these ratings. Choose the wall safe with a fire protection rating according to what you would like to protect. Papers should not get hotter than 350 degrees F (176 degrees C), old tape recordings or 35mm slides no hotter than 150 degrees F (65 degrees C) and CDs/DVDs no hotter than 125 degrees F (52 degrees C). [3] X Trustworthy Source Consumer Reports Nonprofit organization dedicated to consumer advocacy and product testing Go to source In Europe the Eurograde system evaluates wall safes.

If you are using a wall safe as a gun safe then it might be preferable to choose biometric access to prevent a key or code from falling into the hands of children.

Most burglaries take around 8-12 minutes so a wall safe with this rating would be safe during this time. Ratings of B1, B2 or B3 mean the safe provides very little security and resistance to tools. A B5 rating means the safe can withstand 30 minutes of a typical attack with common tools while a B6 rating means the safe can withstand 30 minutes of attack with common tools, torches and carbide-tipped tools. [4] X Trustworthy Source Consumer Reports Nonprofit organization dedicated to consumer advocacy and product testing Go to source

The location will also depend on the studs in your wall. Make sure you choose a location which will be able to make use of the space between studs.

Stud finders can be purchased from your local hardware store. If you don’t have a stud finder you can knock on the wall and listen for a hollow or solid sound. If the sound is hollow then the location is probably between studs; if it sounds solid then there is likely a stud in this location. Knock a nail into the wall. As you hammer you will be able to feel if you hit a stud by the way the nail goes into the wall. These holes will be covered once you have installed your wall safe.

If something is in the way and you are not confident in your ability to safely move or go around it, the best option is to find a new section of wall.

The hole should be close enough to a stud so that you can attach it to your safe later. Make sure to measure and level correctly so that you don’t end up with an uneven or wrongly sized hole.

This is an important step that prevents burglars from simply cutting your safe out of the wall and walking away with the whole thing.