Where Is the Best Place to Install a Safe in Your Home?

Choosing where to install a wall safe is just as important as the safe itself. You’ll want a discreet, low-traffic space, like a bedroom closet or behind wall art, and between two wall studs for maximum security. This guide will walk you through the keys of the wall safe installation process, including do’s, don’ts, and best locations.

Picking the right wall safe is an important process for any homeowner. But even the perfect safe offers minimal protection when installed in the wrong location and/or improperly anchored, leaving your valuables at risk. For the most peace of mind, learn what makes for the best location, master the installation process, and see how BlumSafe can help you find the perfect solution for your home.

What Is the Importance of Wall Safe Location?

Even the best wall safes are left vulnerable without a secure installation location and proper anchoring. The average home break-in lasts eight to ten minutes. With such limited time, a thief is most likely to check predictable locations first, such as a master bedroom nightstand wall or home office.

When determining where to install your wall safe, consider these three variables.

1. Concealment: How exposed is your safe? Could a thief find it at a glance or with minimal searching?
2. Anchoring: Is your safe bolted into sturdy, structural wood? Or drywall, which is much easier to dislodge a safe from?
3. Access: In an emergency, can you open your safe quickly and easily to grab your valuables?

Best Rooms for Wall Safe Installation

In most cases, a dressing room or secondary bedroom closet is the best location for an in-wall safe, as it is out of sight, attracts minimal foot traffic from guests, and is quickly and easily accessible to you in urgent situations. A master bedroom can also be a good place to install a wall safe and is certainly the most convenient. However, the first place a thief looks during a burglary is often the master bedroom, so wall safe installation in the master bedroom must be particularly focused on proper concealment. Here are some wall safe installation considerations for rooms throughout the house.

Location	Concealment Level	Structural Access	Recommended?
Dressing Room or Bedroom Closet	High: Hidden by hanging clothes or well disguised by wall art, a mirror, or a screen	Interior wall with easy stud access	Yes – Best option
Home Office	Medium: Common place for thieves to check	Most layouts feature good stud access	Maybe – Acceptable if installed properly and hidden well
Basement	Medium: Less foot traffic than living room	Can vary, watch for pipes in walls	Maybe – Depends on ease of access and viability of structural access
Living Room	Low: High-traffic area, another common place for thieves to check	Can vary, as many living rooms have exterior walls	No – Not ideal as primary safe location
Garage	Low: Often how thieves enter a home	Minimal access due to concrete/exterior walls	No

Wherever you choose to install a wall safe, keeping it hidden is a great extra layer of security, whether it’s hidden behind a piece of art or a mirror or blended seamlessly into your home décor. Consider our mirrors and electronic screen, hinged or attached on slides to the wall and lockable to further conceal a wall safe behind them, keeping your valuables safe as can be.

What Walls to Avoid During Wall Safe Installation

While the perfect wall for your in-wall safe may vary, two locations you should absolutely avoid are exterior walls and wall stud cavities containing pipes or wiring, which could complicate installation. Learn more about why to avoid those and other walls that could lead to trouble.

• Exterior Walls: If a thief finds out you have a safe installed in an exterior wall, they might be able to access your safe without even entering your home. Plus, installing in an exterior wall reduces some of your home’s insulation, lowering your comfort level and increasing utility costs. Temperature swings between day and night and weather fluctuations can also affect the contents inside the safe.
• Walls With Plumbing: Accidentally drilling into a pipe turns a wall safe installation into a costly and damaging flood. If you think there may be pipes behind a wall, tap it and listen. If you hear a dull thud, it could indicate pipes are in the way.
• Walls With Electrical Wiring: Electrical wiring reduces the wall’s cavity space. Also, it creates a serious risk of electric shock while cutting into drywall. To be safe, use a stud finder with AC wire detection before choosing your installation space.
• Single-Stud Walls: In-wall safes need two studs to anchor into. If a wall is too narrow or lacks standard stud spacing, it may not accommodate your safe.

Before you cut anything, use a stud finder to locate and mark stud edges clearly on both sides and use a multi-scanner tool to confirm the space is free of plumbing or electrical wiring.

Finding the Perfect Spot Between Studs

In most residential construction, standard wall studs are spaced 16 inches apart on center, creating an approximately 14.5-inch cavity. Here is a step-by-step guide to finding the right spot.

1. At the height you plan to install your safe, run a stud finder horizontally across the wall and use a pencil to mark the left and right edge of each stud.
2. Confirm spacing between studs. Some studs may be as far as 24 inches apart in older homes, so measure between the edges of two adjacent studs to find how much usable space you have to work with.
3. Use a multi-scanner to check for any wiring or plumbing. Avoid any areas where they may be present.
4. Measure your safe’s height and width, then draw the outline on the wall with a clean margin from each stud edge, as you’ll need wood to anchor into on both sides.
5. Ensure the opening you drew is straight with a level. If your cut is off, the door will be crooked and may not hang flush or seal correctly.
6. Tap the wall at several points within the drawing and listen for hollow or blocked areas to make certain you’re not cutting into wires or plumbing.

Keep in mind an in-wall safe’s flange may overlap the edge of the drywall and cover minor imperfections. So, while you should strive for a clean cut, it’s okay if it’s not totally perfect.

Tools Needed for Wall Safe Installation

For proper wall safe installation, you’ll need a stud finder, drill, and a few other tools. Refer to this helpful checklist.

• Stud finder with AC detection
• Pencil and tape measure
• Level
• Drywall saw or oscillating multi-tool
• Drill and drill bits
• Lag screws or other fasteners (check your safe’s instructions for required fastener specs)
• Vacuum or dustpan (drywall dust spreads quickly, so clean as you go)

Here at BlumSafe, we’ve heard horror stories from customers who cut corners and tried eyeballing measurements or not checking for pipes before cutting. Take a few minutes and be thorough to save yourself from headaches later.

How Deep Should a Wall Safe Be?

Cavities of standard interior walls are quoted as “2×4”s –  approximately 3.5 inches deep, with most in-wall safes specifically designed to fit that depth. This leaves you with minimal storage space – about the depth of a medicine cabinet.

Unlike 2×4 medicine cabinet solutions, BlumSafes are designed to provide usable depth for many storage purposes. But this requires wall depth of just under 7.5” or two 2×4 walls of space lined up against each other. Fortunately, this type of space can be achieved in a number of ways:

• The easiest way is to install a safe during other home renovation or construction projects where a builder can build the safe wall with 2×8 instead of 2×4 lumber.
• You can also find a 2×4 wall with excess space behind it, allowing the safe to be pushed back through the wall into this additional space, accomplishing a flush mounting in the room in which it is installed. For example, you could mount the safe on a wall that backs up to a closet, under stairs, or into a crawl space.
• BlumSafes can also be installed in cabinetry with ease, and those spaces usually have enough depth. The safe can be pushed through the back of the cabinet into a 2×4 wall behind it for attachment to the wall studs for additional security. Click here for helpful information on BlumSafe installation.
• While not providing a flush, easily concealed mounting, a BlumSafe can be mounted into a 2×4 wall using our frame accessory. While this can make it more difficult to conceal the safe behind artwork or other camouflage, it is still possible with a shadow box setup.

Should You Conceal Your Wall Safe Behind Something?

Yes, you should always make an effort to conceal a wall safe behind something, as this is the most effective way to improve its security. A wall safe out in the open is a target for thieves, while a hidden one that is securely mounted provides maximum security and peace of mind. Here are the best ways to keep your safe hidden.

• Framed Artwork/Picture: As long as the frame hangs naturally and still provides you access to your safe, this is the preferred method, as it keeps your safe perfectly hidden while looking organic and adding style to your space. Or, if you are looking for an information center for your household with touch panel capability for home automation, our Electronic Screen, which attaches to the wall with hinges and is lockable, is an ideal solution.
• Mirror: Most bedrooms and many living rooms feature a mirror, which won’t draw any extra attention from thieves.
• Closet: Secluded and away from guests, installing a safe in a closet also eliminates the need for extra cover, as the safe will naturally be hidden by clothes or shelves.
• Bookshelf: This tends to be a more involved installation, but it results in a highly effective hiding place in home offices or studies.

In short, the best hiding place is one that doesn’t look like a hiding place. That’s why, if your situation cannot facilitate a built-in wall safe like the BlumSafe, we recommend our BlumSafe concealment solutions like the Secure Armoire and the Concealment Cabinet, as they are specifically engineered to provide safe concealment while functioning as regular household fixtures.

Common Wall Safe Installation Mistakes

Here are some common mistakes homeowners run into when installing wall safes and how to avoid them.

The Mistake	The Problem	How to Avoid
Skipping Stud Finder	Anchor into dry wall instead of studs for minimal prying resistance	Use a stud finder to locate and mark studs before cutting
Installing on Exterior Wall	Easier access for thieves; Reduces home insulation, lowering comfort and raising utility costs; Temperature swings can damage valuables	Install in interior walls
Not Checking for Wiring	Risk cutting/drilling into live wire, which is extremely dangerous	Use a multi-scanner with AC detection to identify electrical wires
Choosing Obvious Location	Thieves check obvious locations first during burglary	Install in a closet or conceal well in common space
Skipping Level	Safe may not seal and door may not close properly if installed crooked	Use a level before cutting

What Are the Pros and Cons of Wall Safes vs. Floor Safes?

While wall and floor safes both have unique strengths and vulnerabilities, both can be incredibly secure with the right installation. Wall safes are easier to hide and more convenient for your everyday access to your valuables, but if a thief finds it, it could be easier to remove if not anchored correctly. Floor safes set in concrete are more difficult for a thief to remove but are not easy to hide and require the involved process of cutting into flooring.

That said, when a wall safe is concealed properly, installed correctly, and made from quality materials, it is incredibly difficult for a thief to find and remove it in the ten or fewer minutes most break-ins last. On average, a home burglary takes place every 25.7 seconds, so make sure you’re prepared just in case. For homeowners looking for the top of the line in construction and security for a built-in wall safe or for cabinet installation, we recommend our BlumSafe Professional, featuring advanced safety features and fireproofing for maximum peace of mind, as well as class-leading internal volume. There is no more secure built-in production safe on the market today.

Are You Ready to Install Your Wall Safe?

Once you’ve selected an interior wall in a discreet, low-traffic room, found your two studs, checked for plumbing or wiring, measured properly, leveled your opening, and crafted your plan to effectively conceal your safe, then you’re ready to go. Remember, when done right, your wall safe installation blends right into your home. Make it as invisible as possible, because valuables a thief can’t find are valuables a thief can’t steal.

BlumSafe is proud to offer a wide variety of wall safes for any home, including our All-Steel Door BlumSafe and BlumSafe Professional. We’re also equipped to help you keep your precious safe hidden with the Concealment Safes collection. Check out our full BlumSafe collection to find the right safe to fit your needs.