I am getting a liberty for my handguns, ammunition, and the few rifles I own and had a question. Would you use a half-inch or three-quarter inch piece of plywood underneath the safe? The safe should weigh between 800 to 1000 pounds fully loaded. There will be double or triple felt underneath the plywood to protect my hardwood floors. The floor where the safe will go is clearly rated to have so much weight. It is at least 6 inches of concrete.

Hockey pucks so there's air movement under the safe.

As was recommended by our forum safe expert for me, get a horse stall mat.

quote:

Originally posted by Excam_Man:
Hockey pucks so there's air movement under the safe.

Is it stable with hockey pucks? Also, is the air movement to reduce himidity?

quote:

Also, is the air movement to reduce himidity?

It keeps moisture from building up and eventually rusting the safe floor.

quote:

Originally posted by BB61:
As was recommended by our forum safe expert for me, get a horse stall mat.

Thank you for the response. I am trying to understand the benefit of the horse stall mat versus plywood board placed on multiple layers of soft felt material? I have very nice hardwood floors so I would not want to put any rubberized object on the floor directly. Whatever is directly underneath the safe there will still be multiple layers of felt on the floor. I have a file cabinet that must way around 150 pounds and for years it is been on a beaver board and then several layers of felt. After 5 years I moved it and the floor was in good condition with no rust on the bottom of the file cabinet.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

OK if you aren't going to bolt it down (and it sounds like you aren't) that's a potential issue you need to consider. After that it sounds to me like its in your house interior and its probably doesn't make a hoot of difference what its on. The benefit of the stall mats is they have 0 moisture content versus any wood product which will stabilize but which is over the very long term enough to be a 'potential' issue.

^^^ What he said. Not bolting it down is going to cause some potential issues. One would be the safe could fall on top of you when you open the door. I have a Fatboy and it is amazing at how heavy those doors are. Plywood can also deform, as it is soft and if you have anything in between it, it can cause it to fall on top of you.

quote:

Originally posted by hrcjon:
OK if you aren't going to bolt it down (and it sounds like you aren't) that's a potential issue you need to consider. After that it sounds to me like its in your house interior and its probably doesn't make a hoot of difference what its on. The benefit of the stall mats is they have 0 moisture content versus any wood product which will stabilize but which is over the very long term enough to be a 'potential' issue.

Ok makes sense now. One comp. I found online stated that horse mats smell like rotten eggs and are not good or interiors of home, which is where mine is going

Since you probably don't need one, it may not matter. But stall mats do not smell like rotten eggs. They are a rubber product and initially they can smell like rubber (duh!). Put it outside in the sun and weather for awhile and there will be no smell. But given your situation and the amount of waste to use a stall mat (and cut it etc.) no need for one. If I was in your situation I would just use a piece of synthetic carpet personally. you could put the felt under and the carpet under the safe. And no I have a few safes and I have not felt any of them will fall on me to patw.

I have a few lengths if composite deck boards under my safes, 1/2” or so. I was looking for some air movement.

For those looking for airspace under their safes, are your safes in garages, basements, etc.?

I typically put the safes on 4 x 4's bolted to the safe.
1) It's in the basement-in the event of water--the guns are safe.
2) I'm 5'11"--the extra height allows me to look in the safe.
3) 4" is perfect for storing cases of 22 ammo

In your house with anything like normal inhabitants temp and humidity control you don’t need any airspace.

op,

please find the thread on the /hr thing so you put a line between what you post, and your sig line,


re the safe,

I put mine on a piece of 3/4 plywood in a back bedroom/gun room at out first house,

0 issues with rust, the bottom looked as good as new when we moved 10 yrs later,

it now sits on the same sheet of plywood on a concrete floor (insulated garage) and I have 0 issues in hot/humid VA,

yes, I moved it once and checked,

quote:

Originally posted by lyman:
op,

please find the thread on the /hr thing so you put a line between what you post, and your sig line,


re the safe,

I put mine on a piece of 3/4 plywood in a back bedroom/gun room at out first house,

0 issues with rust, the bottom looked as good as new when we moved 10 yrs later,

it now sits on the same sheet of plywood on a concrete floor (insulated garage) and I have 0 issues in hot/humid VA,

yes, I moved it once and checked,

Thank you so much lyman, your post is a type of information I was looking to obtain. I have 2 questions please:

1) Do you have a direct link to the posts to which you referred? I could not find the thread that you referred to about placing a line between my post and my signature but I tried editing my signature and I will see if that works;

2) For interior placement of the safe, I am going to put felt on the floor, and then does it matter if I use a piece of carpet under the safe or a 1/2 inch board or a three-quarter inch board - plywood of course? I now have all 3. The safe is 30 x 22" and the boards are 33 x 28" - deeper than it needs.