Heavy Gun Safes and Flooring

Pergo

heeler,
I would call Pergo @ the 1-800 # on the flooring packages and ask them. I have installed laminated flooring in my remodeling business and know one thing for sure. You have to allow this material to expand and contract with the humidity and believe me it moves alot.
I'm not sure whether the weight of the safe would keep the flooring from expanding / contracting but if you have a problem later on you would have to move all the furnishings and that safe and allow the flooring to readjust. That's a job you wouldn't want to do.
Also, as stated in the installation directions, you must leave a 1/4 " - 3/8 " at the perimeters for the expantion of this material. This is very important!!!
Your idea of the tiled area is a good one as long as you would be satisfied with the location of the safe forever. (I know I don't move mine around much).
The manufacturers are usually very helpfull in answering Q's of this sort so give them a call.
Hope this helps,
BeeGee

Heeler,

Since you haven't received much response yet - I'll chime in here, but please understand - I am by far NOT any expert or even close to it, and have NEVER even moved a safe before. But I do have a safe I need to locate upstairs, and have been reading up on it recently.

In my reseach, it seems that laying a piece of plywood (the thicker the better, maybe a min of 3/4"?) would help distribute the load. But double/triple check this with regards to a wood flooring...

Many talk about using like 3-5 small steel (round) rod stock, like 1/2 to 3/4" thick and the width of the safe or wider even, to roll it on, and I'd imagine you'd want that heavy load distributed as evenly as possible. So the plywood would help in that regard. Maybe even 1-1/8"? I'm sure there's an overkill thickness, but why chance it?

Some have used a 4x8' sheet of plywood (or two), cutting it in to 2 or 3 pieces lengthwise (48" wide, and leapfrogging it as you go). But I DO NOT know if this would provide enough weight distribution for a safe that weighs that much, especially on a hardwood floor?

But the cement slab, that's a good thing. I am locating my safe in the upstairs of a tri-level stick frame home, and bracing the 2x12 joists just for peice of mind. I think the cement slab will have no problem with kind of weight, but I do not know if the tile can handle it?

Many here have talked about the teflon furniture movers placed at the bottom of a safe (or piece of furniture), to help position it in it's final resting spot, so that is something to consider as well. Seems as if those would work on tile, but as stated - I'm just guessing here...

Hopefully someones that actually KNOWS what they are talking about will respond here...

Please post any follow up tips "post move", so the rest of us can learn as well.

Good luck...

heeler said:

The safe mover will be the one moving this 1249 pound beast...NOT ME.
Anyway I have E-mailed the maker of the laminate twice about placing permanently a safe this heavy on the laminate floor and sadly have not heard back from them.
Since this project is starting next week if i still dont hear back from them i will have the flooring contractor put a 4'x4' area in the corner of the room in either ceramic tile or even more durable commercial grade VCT and since as i mentioned before my home is on a concrete slab that wont present a problem.
Although i hate not having the flooring in that room complete with the laminate, but having a decent gun safe is equally important for me.
I just hope that getting the Amsec BF 6636 into the house and down the hallway into that room wont damage the new laminate floor.
Again the flooring contractor has said as long as they use plywood or masonite there should not be a problem.
The other good thing about putting it on a pad of VCT or ceramic is when they drill it to bolt her down i wont have ruined laminate and if i ever move(doubtful) all i will have to do is complete the 4'x4' area with the left over laminate as i intend to keep three cartons of it stocked away for repairs if necessary.
I would have thought as popular as laminate flooring is one of our safe guru's would have expierenced moving or placing a safe across it or on it.

Click to expand...

Maybe they just haven't seen this thread ... send them a PM.

I don't know much about tile, but I betcha that safe is gonna crack it.

We lay 1/2" ply wood down. roll it on wooden dowel pins. They are better with a lightweight safe because they will give or just break if in a bind against something. good to have a "fuse" somewhere. heavy safes and vault doors require steel cold roll pins. I dont know about the floor though. i would put it on the laminate personally. I intend to put mine on my laminate when the floor is completed. I would think it would still be able to move with the expansion and contraction. just maye drill your holes a little bigger just on the laminate before you put in your redhead

Why do people always email companies for info? We still have a functional telephone system in this country, pick up the phone and call them! You wanna know, and you wanna know now? Call 'em.

Having emailed pratically every safe maker prior to my purchase, and not receiving a single response, I'd have to agreee...
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One question on placing safes on wooded sub floor structures -

I have a tri-level with 2x12's on 18" cnters, and I have braced the (3) joist where the safe will lie. Safe is said to be ~800 lbs. The sestion where the safe will sit is on a slightly cantilevered section, so the braces are backed by the garage cement slab, and then may another 1 foot will resting over a weight bearing wall. Is that overkill, or necessary?

Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance!

Opps dupliucate post my bad..

If you go with laminate floor--and that avoids having a transition at the flooring change--lay the safe's area by itself. Then butt the rest of the floor to that. That way the floating floor "treats" the fixed-by-safe area the same was as walls and other fixed objects in the house. Also, you do not have to worry about "fixing" the floating floor when you put bolts down for the safe (expansion bolts are best, but don't go longer than 3" into the concrete unless you know, for sure, the concrete is thicker than that--far too much 4" concrete is only a 3½" 2x4 deep).

The dolly or dolly pads used by the mover ought to be non-marring. They also ought to have enough surface area to not crush the engineered floor.

I'm going to guess that the carpet on the concrete slab is coming out, you could just save back some of that carpet to put in the halls and such leading to where the safe will go.

If you do, lay the carpet, pile down/backing up; same way you want to put the tempered side of masonite down, too.

Healer

I put down Pergo laminate flooring in my Florida house too, I have one large 800 pound safe full to the gills and it has been on the Pergo flooring in my office/gun room for about 2 years now with no ill effects. I moved it into the room on a piece of thick cardboard and she just skidded across the laminate without any problems or any damage to the pergo. The Pergo is holding up well, and it even withstands my 118 lb German Shepard without any scratchs or anything. Good luck with your new floor and safe.

Keith