What to Really Know About Installing a Safe
With the right tools and expertise, second-story safe installs can be completed smoothly and without damaging your door jambs, floors, or walls.
Installing a heavy safe on the second story might sound risky — or like it’s not even an option. Our highly skilled delivery crews take safes weighing more than 1,000 pounds up and down stairs nearly daily. We have more than 40 years of experience, which has allowed us to develop a carefully honed arsenal of tools and techniques to safely lift and carry these heavy objects up and down stairs.
But rather than just tell you it’s possible, we wanted to show you. Below are just seven of the thousands of second-story installs we’ve completed recently.
7 Second Story Safe Installs
1. Liberty Lincoln 40 (1,002 lbs)
This install shows a Lincoln 40 being carefully moved up a narrow staircase with a landing.
Even at just over 1,000 pounds, the real challenge wasn’t the weight — it was the tight turn on the landing. In addition to the electric stair-climbing hand truck, the team also used a landing extension to allow them to safely maneuver the safe and hand truck to the second set of stairs.
Takeaway: Finding creative solutions to tight turns allows our crew to overcome obstacles other delivery crews likely wouldn’t even attempt.
2. Liberty Fatboy Jr. (754 lbs)
The Fatboy Jr. is a lighter ‘heavy’ safe, but that doesn’t mean delivery is easy.
Even smaller safes require precise handling to avoid slipping or damage to the walls, railings, and flooring.
Takeaway: Lighter safes still require professional preparation to ensure stairs and flooring aren’t damaged.
3. Liberty Fatboy (914 lbs)
Liberty Fatboy’s have a 42" x 27.5" footprint, which isn’t small. In this instance, the safe had to be taken up a relatively narrow stairwell with a railing, and make a ticket landing turn before going up another set of stairs. In addition to the electric stair climber, a landing extension was used to make this turn possible.
Takeaway: Smaller landings can prevent traditional delivery crews from moving a safe up a set of stairs. With a landing extension, our highly skilled crew successfully installed this safe upstairs.
4. Liberty Fatboy (914 lbs) – Exterior Entry
Here, a full-size Fatboy had to navigate a wooden staircase with narrow stairs. To traverse the stairs without compromising the wood, the team used wooden landing extensions to disperse the weight, giving the safe a larger footprint on which to rest.
Takeaway: Using tools can help disperse weight to protect the stairs.
5. Liberty Lincoln 50 (1,194 lbs)
At nearly 1,200 pounds, this Lincoln 50 required careful planning.
The biggest challenge with this install? The curved stairway requires the safe's angle to be constantly readjusted as it is moved up.
Takeaway: Curved angles can increase the risk of a safe slipping and crashing. With our high-powered stair climber and highly experienced crew, we can take a slow, steady approach to safely deliver and install the safe on the second floor.
6. Liberty Colonial 50 (1,002 lbs)
To move this Colonial 50 inside, it needed to be taken up a set of concrete steps, with a tight landing turn. The crew needed to move the safe without damaging the steps, while also making that tight turn. Carpet was used to protect the steps and provide additional grip. An electric stair climber provided critical physical assistance, allowing the team to maneuver the safe with finesse rather than muscle. And, a landing extension allows for the safe to be taken onto the stairs’ landing and rotated so it can be taken up the other stairs.
Takeaway: It’s not just wooden floors that need protection. We take care with every surface. And, we work on every problem to find a solution when the space is too small.
7. Liberty National Classic 40 (1,185 lbs)
A long, concrete stair entryway requires this Liberty National Classic 40 to be taken up without interruption. In this case, the stairs were covered with carpet, and then the safe was brought up using an electric stair climber.
Takeaway: Weight alone doesn’t stop a second-story install — poor planning and preparation do. We handle the planning and the preparation so you don’t have to worry about it.
What These Installs Prove
Looking across all seven examples, a few patterns stand out:
1. Weight Isn’t the Main Problem
Most of these safes are 1,000 pounds or more. Homes regularly support much more weight than that (think bathtubs, pianos, or large gatherings). The real issue is how the safe is moved, not just its weight.
2. Stairs, Turns, and Space Matter Most
The biggest challenges came from:
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Tight staircases
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Sharp turns or landings
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Railings and wall clearance
These factors often matter more than the safe’s weight.
3. The Right Equipment Changes Everything
Professional installers use tools like:
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Powered stair climbers
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Protective runners and padding
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Landing extensions
This allows heavy safes to move smoothly and safely.
4. Every Install Is Different
No two homes are the same. That’s why planning matters. A good installer will ask for:
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Photos of stairs and entry points
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Measurements of doorways and landings
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Details about flooring and layout
3 More Examples of Heavy Things Installed on the Second Story
When people think about putting a safe on the second story, the first question is usually about weight. That makes sense — safes can be heavy, especially larger, fire-rated models. But it helps to take a step back and look at what homes and buildings already support every day.
1. Bathtubs
Bathtubs are one of the best examples. A standard tub (about 30" x 60") holds around 80 gallons of water — roughly the same footprint as many popular safes. Since water weighs just over 8 pounds per gallon, that’s about 700 to 1,000 pounds before anyone even steps in.
2. Teslas
Teslas are another surprising example. At Bellevue Square in downtown Bellevue, Tesla once displayed full vehicles on the second floor of the mall. These cars weigh anywhere from 3,500 to over 5,000 pounds — far more than most residential safes.
3. Waterbeds
Waterbeds also put things into perspective. A king-size waterbed, once filled and assembled, typically weighs between 1,600 and 2,000 pounds.
When Does a Second Story Install Make Sense?
A second-story install is often the right move when:
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It’s the best place for you to use it regularly
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You want the safe out of sight
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The main floor doesn’t have space
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You’re creating a dedicated, panic room or closet
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You want added security through placement and concealment
Yes, Second Story Safe Installations Are Possible
These installs show something most people don’t expect: Second-story safe installation isn’t unusual — it just needs the right plan.
From a 754-pound Fatboy Jr. to a 1,185-pound National Classic, each of these safes made it upstairs safely because the install was done the right way. If you’re considering a second-story install, the best next step is simple: Get expert eyes on your space before making a decision.
Because with the right setup, what seems impossible is actually done every day.