Reinforced closet questions

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Tim the student

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I needed more storage room, so I reinforced a closet in my basement. (The thread about taking a sawzall to an RSC was the tipping point.) Got a couple of questions now.

The floor is cement. The couple long guns I have in there now are on the cement.

So, will the rifles be fine with that, or should I put some kind of carpet down?

Do I need to line the wooded racks I made with anything?

I'm not worried about aesthetics, just corrosion protection.

It isn't airtight, and I have a couple dehumidifiers in the basement now. I have no idea exactly what the humidity level is now. Should I wire in a light or something like that?

Anyone have an idea on how to hide the deadbolts a bit?

Any other suggestions, other than locking up tools that could be used? (They are now, BTW).

Any and all tips and advice would be appreciated.
 
I would certainly put down some kind of protective layer to keep guns off the concrete. Concrete does attract a lot of moisture. Neither wood nor metal like touching concrete at all.

A light bulb would keep the temp in there just a bit higher than in the surrounding area which should help with condensation.

How did you reinforce the closet?
 
Before I would put any kind of floor covering on cement, I would first buy Basement Concrete Waterproofing Paint and follow the directions to seal all visible concrete in the new closet. I had built a "cold-room" in one corner of my basement and my basement is real dry (I do need a dehumidifier all summer due to warm moist air from upstairs hitting the cool basement surfaces and turning to condensation).

So, in that cold room I constructed, I painted the two concrete basement walls and the concrete floor with that waterproofing paint. Then I put an area rug in that room and the rug has stayed as dry as could be!
 
Thanks Sam.

First I pulled off the old wall, which was just 1/4" plywood, leaving just the frame. Two sides are the foundation walls.

I reinforced the walls by adding a couple more studs, and using 3/4" plywood. Used a couple tapcons too, as appropriate.

After pricing new doors, I decided just to reinforce the one there now. The door is an older solid core, but I still put another layer of plywood over that as well. Added some deadbolts to that. The hinges are the weak point now. My brother in law is going to come up and weld the hinges up, so they can't be removed easily. (Some locktite is on the threads now).

My main goal was to get a bit more storage space that will keep a kid out, or someone looking to get in and out quickly. I realize it isn't a safe. But, it does give me room to lock up my tools that could be used to break into an RSC, or the closet in question.

ETA: The basement will be painted in about a week.
 
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Well, that should slow someone down. Your hinges may be the weak point, but the door jamb may be as well. Making sure the screws that hold the hinges and the lock strike-plates are long enough to get through the weak jamb material and into the framing behind it is also a very good idea.

Nothing that someone couldn't get into with 5 minutes and a Sawzall, but that goes for most any part of 99% of houses.
 
Making sure the screws that hold the hinges and the lock strike-plates are long enough to get through the weak jamb material and into the framing behind it
Click to expand...

They are.

I would certainly put down some kind of protective layer to keep guns off the concrete.
Click to expand...

Do you have a recommendation?
 
Sure! Depending on the size of the room, something like a plastic/rubber shower mat would be fine, or vinyl carpet-runner, etc. A piece of indoor-outdoor carpet might be ok, but you want it to be water-proof and not something like standard carpet that could actually absorb and then hold water against the gun.
 
Do you have a farm supply store nearby? They sell stall mat, which is usually 1/2" or thicker, and made of recycled tires. Even though it is very hard, it will still cushion the concrete floor quite a bit, as well as give you a little bit of elevation off the floor.

I also agree with a waterproof paint.
 
When we built man-traps, we'd use kevlar panels (comes like plywood, cheaper than you'd think) with expanded metal sheets on both sides, finally covered with sheetrock. You need a demolition saw to get through the wall, rendering the door the weak point.

You can get a safe dehumidifier, essentially just a heating element that plugs in and will set on the floor. I'd put in coated peg racks, but that is just me (along with the blue fluorescent lighting, a la the Hollywood arms room!).
 
Saw a tv show a few months back and they took 3/16 or 1/4 inch steel flatbar and placed them between door frame and studs on both sides and used 3 or 4 inch screws on hinge and jamb to make it more secure. also cut out for dead bolts to go thru steel. They showed 2 identical doors and the regular one was kicked in with no problem, the
2nd one the guy kicked it several times and didn't break in. Hope this helps.
 
Shouldn't have to weld the hinges at all, just drill a fine hole through one or two of the knuckles and stick a pin through it.

Then, of course, put some really long, heavy screws through the frame and door.

Also, check out these folks for a way to armor up the frame: http://www.armorconcepts.com/
 
On the hinges, take one paired screw--door and frame--out of each hinge.
Then, replace that screw with a 1 to 1-1/2" longer one on the frame side. Let it hang out of the hinge, and take the head off with a sawzall or hacksaw. Then, drill out the corresponding door side until the stub screw fits in.

The hinge pins could be pulled and the door would still hold.

As to the floor, tape some 6mil plastic down, a square about 18" usually suffices, and leave that a couple nights. If the plastic beads up in moisture, then treat the floor with a waterproofing--make sure it's "proof" and not "resistant" too.

If the floor is generally dry, then anti-fatigue rubber mats really work well. Slightly better to get the "play" mats at Target or Sam's rather than the very cheap ones at HF.

Really, you are likely to wind up with metal ammo cans on the floor anyway.

To "rack" the long arms, I like a stout wooden shelf for the butts, then a 1x3 with dowels or shaker pegs to hold the forearms.
 
So the reinforced walls are simply 3/4" plywood, and no reinforcement in the ceiling? That wouldn't make me sleep any better.
Click to expand...

I guess that depends on whether you're dealing with a smash and grab burglar, or a professional thief.

A smash and grab burglar isn't going to invest the time to get in it, nor will he have the tools with him to cut a hole in the floor above. If you do have the tools in the house and the smash and grab guy uses them, or if you are attracting a pro, then it will merely slow them down a bit. Same as a gun safe, except you're getting more room and a much lower price tag.
 
On the hinges, take one paired screw--door and frame--out of each hinge.
Then, replace that screw with a 1 to 1-1/2" longer one on the frame side. Let it hang out of the hinge, and take the head off with a sawzall or hacksaw. Then, drill out the corresponding door side until the stub screw fits in.

The hinge pins could be pulled and the door would still hold.
Click to expand...

When I lived in an apartment, many years ago, that's exactly what I did for the closet door (besides installing a deadbolt lock). The idea was not so much to foil a burglar, but to preserve my privacy from the maintenance man that would periodically enter the apartment when I wasn't there. I didn't want him seeing the gun safe that was in the closet.:)

The beauty of such changes is that they can easily be reversed when you vacate the premises.
 
I have a hall closet that seems perfect for hardening. What I'm wondering is this: Say someone breaks in and sees the extra deadbolt (or whatever used). Won't that key the BG into the fact that something is valuable in there?

The closet I'm thinking about modding shares it's back wall with the walk-in closet in our master bedroom. If I can talk my wife into giving up some space (that's a HUGE "if" :D) I wonder if I could make the real access to it, still using the deadbolts and such, on that side and permanently sealing the hall closet door from the inside. Or, better yet, removing the hall door, sheet-rocking it over so it's just part of the wall and doing the door inside the WI closet.

I have a fireproof safe (about 2' cubed) that I could put in there, secured to the floor for jewelry and other valuables but use the remaining space for firearms.

Pros/cons?
 
Say someone breaks in and sees the extra deadbolt (or whatever used). Won't that key the BG into the fact that something is valuable in there?
Click to expand...

It may, but not any more than seeing a safe sitting there. In most residential burglaries, the safe isn't even touched, because they don't have the tools or time to get into it. Same should apply to a hardened room.

If you want to get fancy, you can find something like a Fox Police lock. They used these in places like NY where kicking down doors was common. It's a single key hole, but it operates wide bolts mounted to the inside face of the door. They have them in two point and four point locking models.
 
I was thinking along those lines but didn't know that there is a product out there. Something like safe locks or the locks on my enclosed trailer.

I will check that out. Thank you.
 
2X4 inche welded wire fencing from the farm supply is the very devil to get through. Under drywall, paneling or plywood it isn't visible.

I agree that stall mat is great stuff on concrete floor or you can get perforated hardware mat. Do not set your guns directly on concrete.

If the racks are pressure treated wood you don't want your guns in contact with the wood since it may be salt or worse treated. Just line them with almost any adhesive backed nonporous material.
 
I would go with some welded wire under unfinished drywall

I would also put mechanical type signs like 'High Voltage' on the door and run some dummy air ducting (it's not really expensive and you usually can get some USED ducting from a Habitat For Humanity Re-Use-It store.)

Hide in plain sight, maybe even put the info decal for a Electrical Air Purifier for a central air system next to the door.
 
KISS-keep it super simple.

Camouflage the entry. Freezer in front for a door. Put it on slides. Small door behind it using an HVAC grille. Be sure to put food in the freezer.
 
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