Questions about installing a safe

The most common questions from our customers are about how to install a safe and whether they need a professional installation engineer or whether they can install it themselves.

DIY is popular in Britain and many people will own the tools required to do the job but does your safe need to be installed and can you do it yourself?

Take a look at the questions and answers below taken from our Frequently Asked Questions section about Installing Safes.

Does my safe require installing?

Security Safes and selected Fire Safes include pre-drilled holes in the base of the safe and sometimes in the back designed specifically for installation.

The Safe Shop would advise that any safe that includes pre-drilled holes should be installed either by one of our own professional safe engineers or on a DIY basis.

To meet the manufacturer’s recommended cash rating your insurer may insist on the safe being installed. Quite often this must be by a qualified installer so we also advise checking with your insurer.

Do you provide installation services?

We offer a Delivery & Installation service which is carried out by a professional safe engineer on the majority of our security safes and also on selected fire safes. This is usually a chargeable service but is included free with all Chubbsafes and selected large Eurograde safes. The specific delivery services available for each product can be found on each individual product page.

Our Delivery & Installation service includes bringing the safe inside your building and bolting it down to the floor. The safe can be installed in a location of your choice providing adequate access is available with only one step on the delivery route. Upper or lower floors are also acceptable if there is access via a lift with the correct weight load capacity.

We can also install to upper or lower floors accessed via stairs but we will require specific information of the delivery route before we can provide a price. Please contact us for details.

We do not offer installation as standard on our range of Budget Safes as the cost can often outweigh the price of the safe and these can generally be installed on a DIY basis.

We do not offer installation of under floor safes. You will require a qualified builder to install an under floor safe.

Can I install my safe?

If the safe is suitable for installation – and most are – it will include pre-drilled holes and you can certainly install this type of safe yourself on a DIY basis or arrange for someone to install it for you. However we do advise checking with your insurer as they may insist the safe is installed by a qualified safe engineer.

Our safes usually include Anchor Bolts which are designed to secure a safe to a solid surface so all you require is a good drill and the correct size heavy duty masonry drill bit (usually 10-12mm diameter).

Under no circumstances should you drill holes in the safe as this will compromise the protection offered and invalidate your warranty.

We also offer a Delivery & Installation service by a professional safe engineer.

What do I need to install my safe?

Safes are best installed to solid surfaces so you will need a good quality drill ideally with a cord and a heavy duty masonry drill bit. Cordless drills do not generally have enough power to drill solid surfaces and although suitable you will most likely spend more time charging the battery than installing your safe.

Anchor Bolts are usually included with each safe (excludes Gun Safes) and this will be mentioned in the details section on each product page. However you can replace them with longer/thicker bolts if required but check the hole diameter on the safe to ensure they will fit. The bolts supplied are normally around 75mm in length and 10 or 12mm in diameter. It should be noted that the manufacturers change the bolt sizes from time to time so these are only estimates.

It will also make life easier if you have a template so you know where to drill the holes. We recommend cutting a section of the safe box to match the size of the safe and making holes in the cardboard to match the hole positions on the safe. You can use the use the template to mark where your drilling points should be with a marker pen.

Also consider the size and weight of the safe as you might need to enlist the help of a friend who can help you move the safe into position.

Can safes be bolted to the floor?

All security safes and selected fire safes include pre-drilled holes in the base designed to allow for a floor installation.

Due to the potential to compromise fire protection only selected fire safes include holes in the base. You can view fire safes that include holes in the base here

Most safes are supplied complete with Anchor Bolts which are designed to be used with a solid surface such as concrete or brick. Solid wood such as floor joists are also suitable but you would need to purchase alternative heavy duty wood screws.

Floor boards (unless fixing into the joist) are not strong/thick enough and we would advise against bolting just to floor boards.

If you do not have a solid floor surface you could consider a Chemical Installation or Wall Installation

Can safes be bolted to a wall?

Selected security safes include pre-drilled holes in the back which are designed to allow for a wall installation but the wall must be solid such as an exterior brick wall. You should not install a safe to a stud wall.

Due to the potential to compromise fire protection a fire safe does not have holes in the back. Selected models have holes in the base and can be bolted to the floor.

If you choose to install to a wall you must ensure that a section of the skirting board is removed so that the safe can be fitted flush to the wall. Leaving a space between the safe and the wall makes it easy to pry the safe from the wall and will compromise security.

You can view security safes that include holes in the back here

You can view fire safes that include holes in the base here

I have under floor heating, can I still bolt down to the floor?

Unless you have left a specific area of the floor free from under floor heating we would not advise bolting your safe to the floor.

More recently and due to the increased popularity of under floor heating we have started to provide a Chemical Installation which involves securing the safe to the floor using an industrial strength adhesive.

What is a Chemical Installation?

A Chemical Installation involves securing a safe to the floor using an industrial strength adhesive. There can be a variety of reasons to opt for this type of installation but generally it will be due to under floor heating, which prevents securing points being drilled into the floor surface.

This is a relatively new type of installation and we recommend checking with your insurance company if you are considering a Chemical Installation. It is also worth noting that should you move it is unlikely you will be able to take your safe with you. If it is possible to move the safe at all the most likely outcome would be serious damage to the floor.

Please contact us for more information on Chemical Installations.