How to Install a Wall Safe

If you keep small valuables in your home, locking them in a wall safe is an affordable, convenient and reliable way to make sure burglars can't get their hands on them. Fortunately, wall safes are also surprisingly easy to install. Once you learn how to install a wall safe, you can do the job yourself for about half the price a carpenter would charge. Before you start the installation, though, check if your safe came with instructions for how to install a wall safe. The manufacturer's instructions may cover points particular to the type of safe you have.

What you'll need:
Safety goggles or glasses
Electronic stud finder (optional)
Measuring tape
Carpenter's level
Painter's tape or a pencil
Drop cloths
Drill
Phillips head bit and spade bit
Keyhole drywall saw or jigsaw
Shims

Find a location
Look for a wall with no wiring, plumbing, or heating ducts behind it where you can install the safe about 5 feet from the floor for easy access. A wall inside a closet or cabinet will make it easier to keep the safe concealed. If the safe you're installing is designed to fit within the space between two walls, you won't have to worry about the wall behind it. If, however, your safe will protrude through the wall behind it, look for a location where the back of the safe will be in a storage closet, utility room, bedroom, garage, or other inconspicuous place.

The typical wall safe is 15 inches wide so it will fit between standard 16-inch on-center wall studs (that is, there are 16 inches from the center of one stud to the center of the next). To make sure your safe will fit, use a stud sensor to find the two studs you plan to place the safe between so you can mark their locations and measure the distance. When planning how to install your safe, keep in mind that in some older houses, the studs may be non-standard distances apart. In this case, you'll need to either add wooden blocks to the studs to narrow the opening or install top and bottom support brackets to hold the safe.