Can Gun Safes Go Upstairs?

/ Full Size Gun Safes / By

We may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Thanks for the support! 👍

Every gun safe owner has to think about exactly where to keep their gun safe. Generally speaking, most gun safes can be extremely heavy, and you won’t want to move it around once you have bought it. This is why you should think about where to place the safe before you ever even get the safe in your hands. However the biggest worry many people have is if gun safes can go upstairs?

So, can gun safes go upstairs? From what I have found, gun safes should have no problem being placed on upper floors of your home, and shouldn’t cause any issues with your floor joists. Think about the weight of a full bathtub, or a water bed. Both can be extremely heavy, but can be placed upstairs.

You should consult an architect

Asid from what I just said though, you should most definitely consult an architect before you bring a heavy safe into your upstairs.

These professionals can easily see how your home was built, and give you great recommendations on where to place the safe to make sure it is spreading out the weight of your safe across as many joists as possible.

Some homes may not be built to code, and you won’t be aware of it. Consulting an architect will help you figure this out, and make the right decision. You are wanting a safe in your upstairs, and not unexpectedly on your main floor right?

Can you spread out the weight in some other way?

Gun safes already spread their weight out incredibly evenly, and adding a layer of plywood underneath like I have seen some other people recommend just doesn’t quite make sense.

A gun safe is already built with a flat bottom, and spreads its weight evenly already. Adding plywood to the bottom would only achieve making your safe easier to steal, and make it more difficult to secure your safe to the floor.

My recommendation? Consult the right people, and do it the right way without trying anything fancy.

More Reading

Maybe think about a lighter safe

If you are still worried about the weight of the safe on your top floor, but that is the only option for storage, I would recommend looking at multiple smaller safes, or a gun safe without a fire rating as a good option.

I say a safe without a fire rating, as most safes get a good majority of their weight from the fire rating that is sitting in the walls of the safe. If you have a safe without fire rating, you likely can get a similar sized safe as you were looking at before with about half of the weight.

How to get a gun safe upstairs?

Alright, you have contacted professional, and are good to go, now what? Now you need to figure out how to get that gun safe upstairs.

If the safe is a heavy one, unfortunately your first idea of just carrying it up the stairs is not going to work.

My first, and best recommendation is to get a professional to do it. These professionals should be licensed and insured, and can take care of any damage that may happen when you are moving these safes up your stairs. It may sound like a simple idea, but it really is not.

My second recommendation is to get yourself a really (really) good hand truck. There are some different types that can handle stairs and basically carry themselves up, however those will cost around the price you paid for the safe itself. This tends to take most people back to my original suggestion of just hiring a professional to do it.

Recommended Gear

Conclusion

Adding a gun safe to your upstairs shouldn’t be too big of a deal, however as I have stated, do your homework and consult the right people.

Owning a gun safe is your responsibility, and this is all just part of owning a firearm. It’s not always easy.

Must Read