The GMW Gun Hooks with Cable Gun Lock Hole and the GMW AR15 Wall Mount. Now available now on Amazon.com. BUY NOW
Gun safes are an important tool for keeping your firearms concealed and safe from thieves and children. The question is, with something of that size, where should you keep it? It’s best not to keep it somewhere like the living room where it’ll be in view of children and any would-be burglars. You’ll want to keep it somewhere that offers maximum protection but that is also easily accessible. This is a balancing act because the less accessible your safe is, the more protection it will likely offer. With all that in mind you’re probably already thinking about storing your safe in your garage. But while you might be asking yourself how to hide a gun safe in your garage, many gun owners would discourage you from doing so.
Why Isn’t the Garage Safe for a Gun Safe?
Most gun owners we know do not recommend installing gun safes in garages for a variety of reasons. On the brightside, garages usually have concrete slabs that would be perfect locations for bolting down your safe. Garages also provide some protection from home invaders as many burglars may not try to get into the garage when looking for valuables. If a burglar doesn’t know where your guns are, that’s a good thing.
But keeping gun safes in the garage has its downsides. Garages aren’t generally insulated or temperature controlled. Temperatures in the winter and summer could fluctuate wildly and you could also be dealing with situations of extreme humidity. These things could cause damage to your gun. Another thing to think about when putting a gun safe in a garage is the location of your safe in relation to the location of your tools. Gun safes aren’t impregnable, and if the tools needed to open one are sitting right there next to your safe, you could be looking at trouble.
And while we mentioned that garages aren’t normally a thief’s first room to case, thieves have been known to check a garage to see if there are any useful or valuable tools. Garage doors can be easily cut or peeled back to allow entry for thieves. You also need to consider accessibility. If a burglar is in your house will you be able to make it to the garage to retrieve your weapon?
“Where Is the Best Place to Hide My Gun Safe?”
While you’re researching how to hide a gun safe in your garage, you’re going to stumble onto a lot of opinions that advise you that it’s best to put it somewhere else. Your home likely has many good locations for a safe. You should think beyond the garage and you should be asking yourself what rooms or areas might be good compromises for balancing accessibility and protection. Let’s take a look at some other good spaces.
Under the Stairs
Hiding a gun safe under your stairs could offer a lot of protection for your guns. Other valuable goods could be stored here too, of course. This is going to be a lot easier if you already have access to the space under your stairs but you could always make one happen. You might even try to conceal the doorway to this new space. One drawback of this method is that it could be costly and time-consuming.
Built Into Your Home Structure
This is similar to the staircase idea. For this, you’ll simply build the gun safe into your house much like you would a bookcase. This provides a lot of protection against any tools a thief might try to use to break open the safe. It’s very easy to hide the door of your gun safe with this setup. This is most likely going to be the coolest, but also the most expensive and complicated way to install your safe.
Behind a Bookshelf/Heavy Piece of Furniture
This option is good for people who won’t need constant or regular access to their safes. A large piece of furniture in front of your safe will have two benefits. First, it will conceal your safe. Second, a burglar would have to move the furniture to reach your safe. This would not only be difficult it would likely be loud and might alert you to a home invasion.
Basements
Basements are generally not the first targets for thieves so they are considered a somewhat low-risk location for storing a gun safe. Even if a burglar finds your safe in the basement it’s unlikely they’ll have the time or resources to drag it up a flight of stairs. One downside is that basements might also contain tools that will allow burglars to crack your safe. Make sure that these tools aren’t lying out near your gun safe. Consider also the accessibility of your firearms in this scenario.
I Still Want to Store My Gun in the Garage
If you read through all those other options but have your heart set on a gun safe in your garage, no worries, friend. If you want to learn how to hide a gun safe in your garage, our tips below will help you out.
Cardboard Boxes
You’ve probably already got some cardboard boxes in your garage so why not use them? This is a clever way to hide your gun safe. When trying to hide gun safes in the garage you’re probably going to need a lot of boxes. Stack the boxes taped up as if they will be shipped and then pile them as high as you need to, allowing for some extra width on the sides. Cut out the back and bottom of the stack but leave the front, sides, and top intact. Fasten all the boxes together with tape to create a false front. Only you will know that this pile of boxes is more than it seems and, depending on your workmanship, you should have pretty easy access to your safe.
False Fridge
This is a cool way of keeping gun safes in the garage, get it? Similar to the cardboard box technique, you’ll use the fridge as camouflage for your safe. Garage and basement fridges are common enough that this should be a good hiding place for your safe.
Buy a Digital Hygrometer
Consider getting some serious technology to deal with temperature and humidity problems that you might run into when putting a gun safe in the garage. Digital Hygrometers are very useful for this. They will help you keep track of any fluctuations in temperature and humidity so you can be sure that your guns aren’t suffering.
Install dehumidifiers
Dehumidifiers are small heaters that can raise temperatures to fight humidity in the air. The goal of a dehumidifier is to raise the dew point inside its container (whether that be a room or a safe) so that moisture will not condense and negatively affect the contents of the container. Dehumidifiers generally work 24/7 to protect your valuables. When thinking about how to hide a gun in your garage, you should definitely be thinking of purchasing a dehumidifier. This is a delicate balance, however. You don’t want to completely eliminate moisture as very dry air could also be bad for your firearms. Make sure to keep your safe oiled and to check your firearms at least once a week, cleaning and lubricating them if necessary.
INSTALLING A GUN SAFE
Keeping gun safes in the garage is going to take some pre-planning, especially with respect to location. Below we’ll discuss some things to think about when installing gun safes in the garage.
Good Location
Your location will need to take into account moisture, theft, flooding, fires, convenience. Keep in mind that many believe theft to be the biggest threat to your gun safe. Don’t put your safe near a fire hazard or in a low point that may flood. Make sure it’s hidden and make sure you can get to it when you need to.
Safe Installation
You’ve probably been thinking a lot about where to put your safe and not so much how to put your safe there. When talking about how to hide a gun safe in your garage you’ll need to keep in mind that moving a safe is not easy. You might risk personal injury or damage to your home when moving a safe. Don’t try to move a safe yourself. Make sure that someone you trust is with you. Try to get children, pets, and anyone else away from the area. Also, have you checked to make sure that your safe will fit through your doors and stairways? Proper planning is very important.
Floor to Support a Gun Safe
If you’re planning on installing your gun safe on an upper floor, make sure that the floor will be able to withstand that weight. Most floors will hold no more than 1000 lbs but that’s just an average. Know your floors before risking them. Don’t buy your safe until you do your research.
Floor Surface
Take the surface and materials of your floor into account. Hardwood and concrete are going to be better floors underneath your safe than carpet. It’s hard to pry into and under a concrete floor but carpet can be easily scraped out, leaving the bottom of your safe vulnerable.
Weight Limits and Options
If the safe you want doesn’t work with your floor, consider other options. You could consider a non-fire rated alternative which might be lighter and then install a sprinkler system over your safe to fireproof it. Make sure you know exactly what you’re doing if you attempt something like this.
We hope these tips will help address your concern regarding how to hide a gun safe in your garage!
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How to Hide a Gun Safe in Your Garage
The GMW Gun Hooks with Cable Gun Lock Hole and the GMW AR15 Wall Mount. Now available now on Amazon.com.
BUY NOW
Gun safes are an important tool for keeping your firearms concealed and safe from thieves and children. The question is, with something of that size, where should you keep it? It’s best not to keep it somewhere like the living room where it’ll be in view of children and any would-be burglars. You’ll want to keep it somewhere that offers maximum protection but that is also easily accessible. This is a balancing act because the less accessible your safe is, the more protection it will likely offer. With all that in mind you’re probably already thinking about storing your safe in your garage. But while you might be asking yourself how to hide a gun safe in your garage, many gun owners would discourage you from doing so.
Why Isn’t the Garage Safe for a Gun Safe?
Most gun owners we know do not recommend installing gun safes in garages for a variety of reasons. On the brightside, garages usually have concrete slabs that would be perfect locations for bolting down your safe. Garages also provide some protection from home invaders as many burglars may not try to get into the garage when looking for valuables. If a burglar doesn’t know where your guns are, that’s a good thing.
But keeping gun safes in the garage has its downsides. Garages aren’t generally insulated or temperature controlled. Temperatures in the winter and summer could fluctuate wildly and you could also be dealing with situations of extreme humidity. These things could cause damage to your gun. Another thing to think about when putting a gun safe in a garage is the location of your safe in relation to the location of your tools. Gun safes aren’t impregnable, and if the tools needed to open one are sitting right there next to your safe, you could be looking at trouble.
And while we mentioned that garages aren’t normally a thief’s first room to case, thieves have been known to check a garage to see if there are any useful or valuable tools. Garage doors can be easily cut or peeled back to allow entry for thieves. You also need to consider accessibility. If a burglar is in your house will you be able to make it to the garage to retrieve your weapon?
“Where Is the Best Place to Hide My Gun Safe?”
While you’re researching how to hide a gun safe in your garage, you’re going to stumble onto a lot of opinions that advise you that it’s best to put it somewhere else. Your home likely has many good locations for a safe. You should think beyond the garage and you should be asking yourself what rooms or areas might be good compromises for balancing accessibility and protection. Let’s take a look at some other good spaces.
Under the Stairs
Hiding a gun safe under your stairs could offer a lot of protection for your guns. Other valuable goods could be stored here too, of course. This is going to be a lot easier if you already have access to the space under your stairs but you could always make one happen. You might even try to conceal the doorway to this new space. One drawback of this method is that it could be costly and time-consuming.
Built Into Your Home Structure
This is similar to the staircase idea. For this, you’ll simply build the gun safe into your house much like you would a bookcase. This provides a lot of protection against any tools a thief might try to use to break open the safe. It’s very easy to hide the door of your gun safe with this setup. This is most likely going to be the coolest, but also the most expensive and complicated way to install your safe.
Behind a Bookshelf/Heavy Piece of Furniture
This option is good for people who won’t need constant or regular access to their safes. A large piece of furniture in front of your safe will have two benefits. First, it will conceal your safe. Second, a burglar would have to move the furniture to reach your safe. This would not only be difficult it would likely be loud and might alert you to a home invasion.
Basements
Basements are generally not the first targets for thieves so they are considered a somewhat low-risk location for storing a gun safe. Even if a burglar finds your safe in the basement it’s unlikely they’ll have the time or resources to drag it up a flight of stairs. One downside is that basements might also contain tools that will allow burglars to crack your safe. Make sure that these tools aren’t lying out near your gun safe. Consider also the accessibility of your firearms in this scenario.
I Still Want to Store My Gun in the Garage
If you read through all those other options but have your heart set on a gun safe in your garage, no worries, friend. If you want to learn how to hide a gun safe in your garage, our tips below will help you out.
Cardboard Boxes
You’ve probably already got some cardboard boxes in your garage so why not use them? This is a clever way to hide your gun safe. When trying to hide gun safes in the garage you’re probably going to need a lot of boxes. Stack the boxes taped up as if they will be shipped and then pile them as high as you need to, allowing for some extra width on the sides. Cut out the back and bottom of the stack but leave the front, sides, and top intact. Fasten all the boxes together with tape to create a false front. Only you will know that this pile of boxes is more than it seems and, depending on your workmanship, you should have pretty easy access to your safe.
False Fridge
This is a cool way of keeping gun safes in the garage, get it? Similar to the cardboard box technique, you’ll use the fridge as camouflage for your safe. Garage and basement fridges are common enough that this should be a good hiding place for your safe.
Buy a Digital Hygrometer
Consider getting some serious technology to deal with temperature and humidity problems that you might run into when putting a gun safe in the garage. Digital Hygrometers are very useful for this. They will help you keep track of any fluctuations in temperature and humidity so you can be sure that your guns aren’t suffering.
Install dehumidifiers
Dehumidifiers are small heaters that can raise temperatures to fight humidity in the air. The goal of a dehumidifier is to raise the dew point inside its container (whether that be a room or a safe) so that moisture will not condense and negatively affect the contents of the container. Dehumidifiers generally work 24/7 to protect your valuables. When thinking about how to hide a gun in your garage, you should definitely be thinking of purchasing a dehumidifier. This is a delicate balance, however. You don’t want to completely eliminate moisture as very dry air could also be bad for your firearms. Make sure to keep your safe oiled and to check your firearms at least once a week, cleaning and lubricating them if necessary.
INSTALLING A GUN SAFE
Keeping gun safes in the garage is going to take some pre-planning, especially with respect to location. Below we’ll discuss some things to think about when installing gun safes in the garage.
Good Location
Your location will need to take into account moisture, theft, flooding, fires, convenience. Keep in mind that many believe theft to be the biggest threat to your gun safe. Don’t put your safe near a fire hazard or in a low point that may flood. Make sure it’s hidden and make sure you can get to it when you need to.
Safe Installation
You’ve probably been thinking a lot about where to put your safe and not so much how to put your safe there. When talking about how to hide a gun safe in your garage you’ll need to keep in mind that moving a safe is not easy. You might risk personal injury or damage to your home when moving a safe. Don’t try to move a safe yourself. Make sure that someone you trust is with you. Try to get children, pets, and anyone else away from the area. Also, have you checked to make sure that your safe will fit through your doors and stairways? Proper planning is very important.
Floor to Support a Gun Safe
If you’re planning on installing your gun safe on an upper floor, make sure that the floor will be able to withstand that weight. Most floors will hold no more than 1000 lbs but that’s just an average. Know your floors before risking them. Don’t buy your safe until you do your research.
Floor Surface
Take the surface and materials of your floor into account. Hardwood and concrete are going to be better floors underneath your safe than carpet. It’s hard to pry into and under a concrete floor but carpet can be easily scraped out, leaving the bottom of your safe vulnerable.
Weight Limits and Options
If the safe you want doesn’t work with your floor, consider other options. You could consider a non-fire rated alternative which might be lighter and then install a sprinkler system over your safe to fireproof it. Make sure you know exactly what you’re doing if you attempt something like this.
We hope these tips will help address your concern regarding how to hide a gun safe in your garage!