Safe installation in Vancouver
Anchored so it stays put.
We help you choose a home, office, gun or fire safe, then bolt it into concrete, joists or wall studs. Tipping it onto a dolly and wheeling it out stops being the easy option.
Bolted to the floor, cut into the wall, or tucked in a closet.
You want a spot you can reach easily, that a visitor will not notice, and that has something solid underneath to bolt into.
Floor anchoring into concrete or wood joists
Most safes have anchor holes in the base. If your floor is a slab, the bolts go into concrete anchors. On wood, lag bolts pass through the subfloor into a joist, not the plywood alone.
Wall safe installation between the studs
A wall safe sits between two studs and fixes to them through its sides. We check the cavity for wiring and pipes before cutting into your wall, and the front flange covers the cut edge.
Closet and in-floor safe placement
A closet floor, a base cabinet or a dead corner keeps the safe out of plain sight. An in-floor safe is set into the concrete itself, so you plan it as part of a renovation.
Condo and strata rules before bolting a safe down
In a strata building, many bylaws require approval before anyone drills into the structure, including the concrete floor slab. Ask your strata first, and we plan the anchor around its answer.
The right safe depends on what goes inside it.
What are you protecting, and from what? A safe is only as good as the match between what it is built to resist and what you are asking it to survive.
Fire safes for paper, burglary safes for valuables
A fire safe shields paper for its rated time, often an hour or two, but will not stop a pry bar for long. Burglary safes resist tools, sometimes with no fire lining. Some do both.
Sizing it to what you keep
Size it with room to grow. Cash, jewellery, passports and papers each pull the choice a different way. Hard drives fail at far lower temperatures than paper, so they need a safe rated for data.
Gun safes and firearm storage
In Canada, federal rules set how you store firearms, and they differ by class. We place and anchor your gun safe with those rules in mind, away from windows and a visitor's line of sight.
We supply the safe, or install the one you bought
If we supply it, you approve the exact model and the scope of supply, delivery and anchoring before anything is ordered. If you already own it, tell us its size and weight when you call.
An unbolted safe is a heavy box with handles.
Most safe losses are not a cracked door. The whole box goes out on a dolly and gets opened somewhere private, with time and tools. Bolting yours down is what makes that hard.
Safe testing standards expect a burglary-rated safe under about 340 kg (750 lb) to be anchored, hence the holes in its base. Most home and office safes weigh less, as do many gun safes.
A lighter safe bolted into concrete often beats a heavier one sitting loose. We will say so plainly, rather than sell you more steel than the job needs.
If you have a tall gun safe, anchoring also helps keep it from tipping forward when the door swings open with a full rack inside.
What the floor is made of changes the install price.
The $75 mobile service call is never the whole bill. The installation is quoted on top, and you hear both before any work begins.
See starting pricesConcrete slab or wood subfloor anchoring
Concrete takes masonry anchors set with a hammer drill. A wood floor means finding the joists first, since a bolt into plywood alone will not hold. Tile or hardwood on top adds slower, careful drilling.
A wall safe cut-in or a surface bolt-down
Bolting a floor safe through its base is the simpler job. A wall safe means opening your wall, fixing the safe to the framing and leaving a clean edge, so it takes longer.
Safe weight and the route to the spot
A small safe goes in by hand. A heavy one needs dollies, floor protection and a plan for stairs, tight turns and elevator limits. Tell us the weight and the floor when you call.
Moving the safe into position as part of the install
Already in the room? We anchor it where it stands. Still in the garage, the lobby or its box at the door? Getting it into place is part of the quote.
Anchoring questions we hear before the drill comes out.
Can you bolt down a safe in a condo without cracking the slab?
Usually, once your strata approves it. Many Vancouver towers have post-tensioned slabs with steel cables inside the concrete, so the strata may ask for a scan or a different fixing. We work to its answer.
Can a safe be anchored through hardwood or tile?
Yes. The bit goes through the finish into the slab or joist below. Tile is drilled slowly with a tile bit to limit the risk of cracking. If the safe moves later, small holes remain.
Do you install wall safes into existing drywall?
Yes. The drywall is only the cover; the safe fixes to the studs behind it. An outside wall has insulation and a vapour barrier inside, so an inside wall is usually easier.
What anchoring works over a radiant-heated floor?
The heating lines in your floor have to be mapped before any drilling, usually from the installer's layout. If nobody knows where they run, we look at fixing the safe to the wall framing instead.
Can a safe be installed in a rental apartment?
Yes, with your landlord's written permission to drill. Anchor holes are small and can be filled when you move out. Without permission, a hidden closet spot is the fallback, but the safe stays unbolted.
Insured anchoring that respects the floor, the wall and the safe.
We bolt through the safe's factory anchor holes. Drilling new holes in the body can breach the fire lining, so we do not. The route in is covered, and the safe is shimmed level.
Once it is down, we set your own code on the dial or keypad, test it with the door open, and walk you through opening and locking it. To change it later, see combination changes.
We work mobile anywhere in the Lower Mainland, from Downtown and Yaletown towers to houses in Kitsilano, East Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond and North Vancouver.
Our 929 Drake Street shop opens soon; every job is mobile until then. Evenings, weekends and holidays are by appointment.
Tell us what is going on, and we will price it first.
Call or book online with your safe's size, weight and where it is going. You will have the method and the price before any work begins.