Hands down, one of the most common questions we get is, “Can I install a safe on the second floor of my home?”
The short answer is yes. It’s your choice where your safe is installed. Our delivery team can and has installed safes on the second story of homes and office buildings. Your safe could also be installed on the third story, fifth story or tenth story.
Like we said, it’s your choice where your safe is installed. You tell us where you want it and we figure out how to get it there. The following is based on our nearly 40 years of experience, as well as real life examples of items much heavier than a gun safe that have been installed on the second story.
Second Story Gun Safe Installation: Is a Safe Too Heavy for My Floor?
When people consider installing their gun safe on the second story, weight is often a primary concern. This is understandable. Gun safes can weigh a lot — especially if you are getting a large, fire-rated safe.
But, take a moment and consider the other extremely heavy things that are installed on the second story.
Bathtubs — The most common example is a bathtub. A typical bathtub is 30-inches wide and 60-inches long and holds roughly 80 gallons of water. (This also happens to be equivalent to one of the most popular safe sizes we sell!) Extra-deep tubs might hold up to 110 gallons of water. A gallon of water weighs just over 8-pounds. This means the typical tub could weigh anywhere from 700 - 1,000 pounds — and that’s not including a bathing body.
Teslas — Those who live in the Greater Seattle area are familiar with Bellevue Square, a large mall located in Downtown Bellevue. In 2011, Tesla opened a storefront at the center of the mall, on the second floor. The store’s main attraction was an actual Tesla on display, which interested parties could sit in and explore. Tesla vehicles range from 3,500- to 5,421-pounds.
Waterbeds — With the frame and other components, the average weight of a king waterbed is 1,600 - 2,000 pounds.
Floor Load Capacity
According to the 2018 Washington State Residential Code, the minimum load capacity of all non-sleeping rooms is 40 pounds per square foot. This load capacity is based on standard construction minimums of joists and materials within a residential home.
It does not represent the use of higher grade materials or reinforced flooring. Nor does it consider the installation location within a room. The weakest point of the floor is that with the least support, often the center of the room. Gun safes are normally installed along a wall and/or within the corner of a room where support is typically the strongest.
How to Install a Gun Safe: Proper Tools, Expertise and Strength
Like hiking, any time you introduce a change to the terrain, your safe install becomes more complicated. These changes in terrain could include:
- Stairs
- Steep Slopes
- Uneven Ground
- Narrow Hallways
- Large Bodies of Water
Navigating these challenging terrains requires expertise, strength, and the proper tools. Some big box stores only offer curbside delivery or ground floor delivery. Why? Because the delivery crews used by big box stores often have little to no training and they don’t have the necessary tools to move a safe up multiple flights of stairs. When we personally tested having a large Costco gun safe delivered, the crew was forced to manually carry the safe with moving straps into the house.
This means you have to figure out how to move a safe that could weigh 1,000-pounds or more. For most individuals, safely moving something of this size is not feasible. This is especially true for those who want their safe installed on the second story.
Over the years, we’ve helped several individuals in just such a predicament when they purchased a safe from a store that only offered curb-side delivery. Suddenly, they were caught off guard by the added cost and wait times as they hired a professional safe installation team to help.
1. Covering Stairs
Prior to bringing your safe up a stairway, we cover your stairs with a protective barrier to prevent scratches or dings.
2. Covering Doorways
Our delivery team also has protective covers for wrapping around doorways to prevent scratches and dings.
3. “Stair Climber”
Our delivery team uses a specially designed “stair climber,” which allows us to hoist extremely heavy weights up steps one at a time.
4. Nearly 40 Years of Experience
Founded in 1988, we have nearly 40 years of experience delivering and installing safes in homes and businesses.
Do You Offer Gun Safe Installation Near Me?
Delivery can be a very time-intensive process. Many big box stores only deliver to select zip codes. We have our own delivery trucks and deliver safes to all of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana.
Experience Tackling Complicated Home Safe Installations
Over the years, customers have wanted their safe installed in all numbers of locations. Have there been instances when we couldn’t take a safe up the stairs? Yes, but those instances are rare.
Our delivery teams have taken safes up and down winding staircases and extremely narrow staircases. The primary reason we wouldn’t take a safe up or down a flight of stairs is width. If the stairs or doorway it eventually needs to go through isn’t physically wide enough to accommodate the safe, we’d look for an alternative entry-point.
Needing an alternative entry-point is rare. But over the years, we’ve taken some creative measures. This has included raising a safe with a forklift and passing it through a window.
How to Install a Home Safe
Whether you’re scheduling your safe delivery for a Liberty gun safe or another brand, you’ll want to bolt the safe to the floor. This is an important step to protecting your valuables — even if your safe is on an upper floor.
In addition to moving your safe into place, our delivery team can level your safe and securely bolt it into place. This is an important step to ensure your safe functions properly.
Moving a Gun Safe: How to Move a Gun Safe Down a Flight of Stairs
Once your safe is installed on the second story of your home, can you ever move it? Definitely. But just like installing a safe requires special tools and expertise, removing a safe does too. In fact, moving a safe down a flight of stairs is substantially more difficult than moving it up.
Additional Places to Install a Gun Safe
Where else can you install a gun safe? While some sites will caution against installing a gun safe in the garage, it’s one of our most popular installation locations. Discover how to put your gun safe in the garage without running into problems.
Please Note: Northwest Safe takes no legal responsibility for where your safe is installed. It is always your choice where it is installed.