Custom Gun Walls 101: Understanding Your Steel Panels

How to build a gun wall or gun room
Understanding panels

gun wall panels

SecureIt Steel Louvered Panels are the backbone to gun room and gun wall installations.
This article is to give you a better understanding of the panels, firearms and space.

To learn more about gun wall design, installation
and setup see the video: “How to build a gun room

Shop Gun Wall Kits

Gun room Panels are 17 1/4″ wide and come in two heights.
This combination provides many options for gun room and gun wall designs.

gun wall panel dimensions

gun wall panel image

Gun room panels stacked

How gun room panel size relates to common wall size

Below we show gun room panels on a wall to give you an idea of size and scale.
Later in this article, we will add guns

Gun wall DIY

Panels can be mounted mid-wall or over a cabinet or shelf

gun room diy

16″ gun wall panels are added on top to give space for display mount rifles or rear storage

gun room diy

Stacking 36″ gun wall panels will allow for 2 rows of rifles

gun wall diy

Adding 16″ gun wall panels on top fills out a standard 8′ high wall

 

dip gun room

36″ high panels will hold 3 -5 rifles in a horizontal or display style

diy gun. room panel

This shows the difference between traditional rifles and AR15 platform rifles

diy gun wall panels diy gun wall panel kit

Vertical rifle storage.

Each panel is six louvers wide. Firearms are stored at a width of 2 7/8″ on the barrel center.

Rifles stock bases can be placed on our shelves attached to the louvered panels (Above)
or the stock bases can be on a cabinet or floor  12″-18″ below the panels (below).

This proves a large are for the upper saddles to accommodate a wide variety of rifle lengths.
You also have room above the rifles for accessories and gear storage.

Panels can be placed on a wall with the rifle stock bases 12″-18″ below.

This proves a large are for the upper saddles to accommodate a wide variety of rifle lengths.
You also have room above the rifles for accessories and gear storage.

The sale rifle configuration is stored using 16″ panels. You’ll give up a bit of adjustability
and room for gear storage. If you are storing rifles of similar length, 16″ panels are very efficient.

Here 36″ and 16″ gun wall panels are mounted 18″ off the floor. There is room for vertical and horizontal firearms.

diy gun room design

A double row of 36″ panels mounted 15″ off the floor provides space for 2 rows of rifles.
Note that the barrels can run past the top of the gun wall system.

diy gun room

Two 36″ and one 16″ panel are stacked and mounted just off the floor.
This setup allows 2 rows of rifles and provides accessory and gear storage options behind the rifles all the way to the floor.

DIY gun wall kit

Wall-mounted 36″ panels with rifle shelves and base of panels

DIY gun wall kit

Adding 16″ panels on top provides more room for horizontal display.

gun wall with cabinet

Panels above cabinets where rifles sit on top of the cabinets.
Here 36″ high panels are mounted 16″ above he cabinet.

gun wall with cabinets

I have added 16″ panels to the above image.
This fills out the wall and gives you storage options behind the rifles.
see: using storage bins

DIY gun wall kit

This is the same system  mounted 18″ off the floor.
This provides space for 2 rows of vertical rifles or lots of display space.

DIY gun wall kit

Stacked 36″ panels mounted 15″ off the floor. There is vertical space for 2 rows of rifles.

DIY gun wall kit

Two 36 and a 16″ panel stacked. This gives you a wall of flexibility and storage.
Using SecureIt accessories you are able to store lots of gear behind the rifles on the wall.

gun wall work bench

Panels mounted over a work bench.

Gun room work bench

A complete home armory. Workbench, gun wall, reloading system, and 2 Agile Model 52 gun cabinets.

Installed system photos

SecureIt gun wall in gun room

Stained wood between panels gives a softer classic look

gun wall kit

Workbench wrapped in gun wall panels.

Gun room gun wall display

Wall of panels – rifle display

There are many options and possibilities. Do not hesitate to contact SecureIt to learn more.

Shop Gun wall kits and panels

SecureIt gun room

Design and Build a Custom Gun Wall / Gun Room

Building a gun room and gun walls has become very popular in America. There are many reasons to consider a gun room. If you have a large collection, safes and cabinets may not work well for you. Security can be easier with a properly constructed gun room with a vault door. Rifle

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Design and Build a Custom Gun Wall / Gun Room

Building a gun room and gun walls has become very popular in America. There are many reasons to consider a gun room.

  • If you have a large collection, safes and cabinets may not work well for you.
  • Security can be easier with a properly constructed gun room with a vault door.
  • Rifle displays look great in the ultimate man cave

The purpose of this article is to give you a solid understanding of the gun storage system and how to best optimize space in your room.

What You’ll need:

  • SecureIt CradleGrid panels
  • 2 x 4s
  • Plywood
  • Level
  • Measuring Tape
  • Drywall Screws
  • Screw gun

Time:

  • 1-2 Days
  • 2 people – for system layout and installation. Custom Woodwork or cabinets will add to the time.

Initial Planning

What is the purpose of the room or wall? There are unlimited possibilities with the CradleGrid system: High-density mass gun storage? Show and display? Storage and gun maintenance? Reloading? Most likely your project will be a combination of some or all of these.

You can custom design a gun wall or gun room to meet your exact needs. Also, consider SecureIt pre-configured gun wall kits. These are complete systems that are ready to install. 

Gun Room Sample Images

armory weapon racks

Daniel Defense high density armory

gun wall rifle display

Gun display wall

gun room workbench

Gun work bench and reloading area

gun wall storage

guns and gear storage and display

Gun Room / Gun Wall Considerations:

Space:

For estimating space requirements the general rule of thumb is 12 vertical rifles per row every 36″ of linear wall space. For horizontal displays, estimate 4 rifles for every square yard. When storing rifles vertically the length of the rifles will determine the vertical space required. We will go into more detail below.

gun wall panel diagram

Vertical storage – How to store the second row.

When storing rifles vertically, there are 2 ways to hold the second row: using our 6 rifle stock shelf or using individual rifle shelves.

Rifles on 6 capacity rifle shelves VS Rifles on single stock shelves

6 capacity rifle

gun wall storage shelf

6 capacity rifle shelf

rifle and gear storage shelf

Supports rifles using stock bases

rifle and gear storage shelf for gun wall

Shelves also hold books, ammo and gear

6 capacity rifle shelves fit anywhere on the system. The stock base supports sit on the shelf.

Single stock shelves

single stock shelves for gun lockers
The single stock shelves work well when you have a wider variety of rifle lengths and you need maximum vertical efficiency.

Construction:

Are you using existing walls or are you building new? Existing walls – Normal walls (studs and drywall) should be covered with 1/2″ or 3/4″ plywood. If building a new you can substitute plywood for drywall. – depending on the wall layout and other items (doors, windows, electrical) it may be beneficial to build the wall with drywall then cover the area for the gun wall with plywood.

Construction Note

The louvered panels attach to the plywood via 1″ drywall screws. There are holes punched every 2″, normally you will use 6 screws for the 16″ panels and 8-10 for the 36″ panels. If there are shelves that are holding a lot of weight (for example: full ammo cases) you may want to add additional screws to support the load.

Planning and layout for a gun wall

How many panels will fit? To determine the maximum number of panels that will fit use the formula: wall length in inches divided by 17.25 (the width of one panel) Our room dimensions Above is a drawing of the room we will turn into an armory. The right side of the room is open. We will build a wall with a secure double door system. This is the room with the gun storage system, workbench, wall built and double doors drawn in .

Let’s look at each wall:

Here we have a small drawing with the walls labeled and the back wall “A”, this has grid panels and our workbench. To calculate to a number of panels: the wall is 9′ = 108″ each grid panel is 17.25″ wide so 108 divided by 17.25 = 6.26 we can fit 6 panels on the wall. these are centered and our workbench sits in front. Wall “B” we use the same process here: wall – 18′ 6″ = 222″ — 222 / 17.25 = 12.86 so we use 12 panels. Wall “C” On this wall we are using hardwood between the panels. This gives the system a softer and warmer look. We installed the plywood, then used 1×4 hardwood to create the framework, then the panels were attached in the center sections. Normally we would do all walls the same, however, we wanted to use this room as a showpiece for different styles and looks.

System Height

Determine what height is right for your wall. There are two lengths of panels, 16″ high and 36″. Two rows of the large panels fit most applications. This yields 6′ of vertical grid wall. In our room, we start the bottom panels 14″ off the floor. The bottom row of rifles sits on the Stock bases on the floor. 14: off puts to the top of the system at 86″ in a standard room with 8′ ceiling the results look good and work well. You can also start panels on the floor, use Two 36’s and one 16″ panel this will give you a total height of 88″. With this option, you will have the ability to use bins, shelves, and other accessories for the floor up. drawing In the image above we show a 72″ high system 14″ off the floor. There are 24 rifles stored vertical and 3 horizontal. The rifle barrels at the top can be taller than the system. Next, we show floor to ceiling using 3 panels.

Option:

use 2 x 12 lumber or build a wood base on the floor for stock bases. This gets the rifles off the floor. Painting the wood Black or an accent color will give you a nice finished look.

Plywood

Plywood is placed over the drywall and painted (we recommend dark grey or black) so you can attach the panels. We use 1″ drywall screws to secure the panels to the plywood. The screws will go through the plywood and into the drywall. If you want to option to remove or move the gun storage system with minimal impact on the wall. Install the plywood with furring strips to give you enough space for the screw. This is also the method for installing a gun storage system into brick or concrete walls. For brick or concrete walls use furring strips Block wall detail for gun room

Mounting the panels.

In a 2 panel high system, we start with the top panels. measure the height where you want the bottom. Snap a line where the bottom will be, make sure it is level. We normally will screw a temporary ledger board onto the plywood at the line so to support the panel during install. When installing screws into panels, make sure to center the screws in the holes. If a screw is off-center it can push the panel off the line as it is tightened. – quick fix: if a screw is off a bit, leave it loose until the other screws are seated then tighten this will keep the panels straight. We install screws every 3 -4 louvers and every 2-3 rows. adding a few screws to the panel joints will keep things straight and clean. When the panels are installed you can start adding components and firearms. There are unlimited options as far as how you store things! Gun room with reloading bench reloading bench in gun room Gun Room Reloading bench gun room reloading Reloading dyes stored in the gun room. Gun Smith bench in a gun room

SecureIt Gun Room Overview:

Learn More: Modern Gun Storage

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