If one has to put a 250 to 500 pound safe on some very nice hardwood floors what would you put under the safe to protect the floor? I went to Home Depot and none of the staff in the flooring department could help me. I looked at some interlocking rubber mats by Traffic Master but the density was not that heavy and I could easily squeeze the mass with my fingers. I have a heavy file cabinet that must weigh somewhere between hundred and 25 and 200 pounds with the paper. Underneath that I had a beaver board for about a year and then when I updated the file cabinet the beaver board had not left an impression on the floor. Now I have a piece of felt, then the beaver board, and then the heavy file cabinet.

Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks guys and have a great day.

Pickup truck bed mat. Hard rubber, but you can cut it with a razor knife to fit.

Horse stall mat would work pretty well. Heavy duty and able to be cut with a razor knife.

quote:

Originally posted by pwrlftr:
Horse stall mat would work pretty well. Heavy duty and able to be cut with a razor knife.

That was my first thought.

Plywood 1/2" ,a slightly larger footprint than the safe.
Rubber may leave marks. The plywood will spread the load and prevent any scratches.

^^^^^^^^

Plywood or even 1/4" hardboard will work. I would think you'd want it 1/2" smaller, not larger than the footprint. I doubt the plywood border would do much for the esthetics against a hardwood floor.

Hrm. If there's direct sun light in the room, it's gonna discolor the wood around it anyway. For just leaving impressions, I guess it would depend on the bottom of the safe. I'd want something to spread the weight. I had those little rubber feet on my nightstand safe and when I moved it, it pulled some of the laminate up, so I'd avoid rubber directly on the floor. I like the idea of felt, but that'd make me worry about moisture. I guess I'm not really much help!

ETA: actually I like that plywood idea. You could brad some molding around it to make it look a little better.

500 lbs? That's not a "heavy" gun safe. And, I'll assume that you will not be bolting it down, since you don't want to damage the wood floor. The professional thieves would have an easy work day, if they manage to break into your home.

I'd put a piece of carpet and then a piece of plywood way thicker than 1/4". your goal is to maximize the load distribution. If aesthetics permit it should be as large as possible.

I attached Flexi-Felt heavy duty self-adhesive pads to the bottom four corners of my small (~350#) safe. Once in place, I drilled holes and secured it to the floor joists with large lag screws. While it was somewhat disturbing to drill holes in my new oak flooring, returning home to find my safe missing would most certainly be worse. Please do your homework re: residential safe installation. As crazy as it sounds, a determined burglar could actually remove a ~500# safe with little effort.

Tractor Supply has rolls they will cut to order. They are heavy.

I live in a condo, 7th floor, with 24 hour front desk staff. That will help with security. The floor below my engineered hardwood is a concrete slab. Condo rules no drilling in it. Many rules to follow.

Anything rubber will just stick and leave marks. I’d use a piece of plywood like others have said, if you want to dress it up you can put some trim around the plywood and paint or stain it

Hockey pucks.

Fitness equipment stores sell mats that go under equipment, and some of that gear weighs as much as lighter safe does. I just got one of those for my son's appartment, 80 bucks, seems like will do the job.

Plastic pallet. sold on amazon, Uline and a couple of others. By a small pallet jack for a few hundred and u can move it anytime you want...

Most safe dealers will sell a pedestal that is slightly larger than your safe.

I’d look for the best carpet foam padding, then the cheapest carpet, then the pedestal.

Not your actual question but I'd look hard at the ability to bolt it down. Don't want someone sliding that puppy out of your house.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:

quote:

Originally posted by pwrlftr:
Horse stall mat would work pretty well. Heavy duty and able to be cut with a razor knife.

That was my first thought.

I have this in my garage. It has worked well.

my local Fort Knox dealer brings hockey pucks along. Cheap, will bear the load just fine and portable. Obviously, bolting the safe down is harder if not improbable.