How to Drill a Floor Safe

A floor safe is a necessity for some homeowners who want to protect items from fire and burglary. Documents can be important for both personal and legal reasons, and the basic protection of the paperwork against a possible fire is crucial for anyone who possesses such documents. People who faced the significant hassle of replacing a crucial legal document can empathize with the work saved by protecting them. Yet bolting a safe to a floor can take the safe's functionality to the next level, protecting valuables from theft as well as fire.

Marker
Utility knife
Putty knife
Bolts
Drill
Drill bit same diameter as bolts
Hammer
Wrench

Instructions

- 1
  Position the safe in the installation area. Mark the location to place bolts in the floor by using the bolts or bolt holes in the bottom the the safe as guides. If the area has carpeting, use a utility knife to cut about a 1-inch diameter circle in the carpet around each bolt position mark. Remove the carpet circles, and use a putty knife to scrape away materials that were under the carpet. Reposition the safe where you want it installed, and mark the exact position of the bolt or bolts with a marker.
- 2
  Drill holes in the floor for each bolt by using a drill bit that is exactly the same diameter as the bolts or bolt holes in the bottom of the safe. Reposition the safe so that the bolts or holes are over the floor holes.
- 3
  Remove items from the interior of the safe. Work the bolts through the bottom of the safe and into the floor holes by hand if possible. Rock the safe back and forth to line up the holes for the bolts. Re-drill holes that are off by more than one-eight inch. Hammer the bolts into the floor from within the safe if necessary to force the bolts into the floor.
- 4
  Tighten the bolts from inside the safe. Tightening the bolts causes them to expand and press into the flooring, securing them in place.

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