How to make a Homemade DIY Gun Hideaway
Here’s a quick and easy way to turn your average store bought ottoman into a quick-access gun hideaway. All you need is the ottoman along with a few other basic supplies that will cost less than $30 or so at your local hardware store. Note when doing this, or handling any other firearm, always be sure to clear it and test its fit when it is unloaded and the chamber is empty. Also, this is not a secure method of storing a firearm, especially from children or other people in the home who are not authorized to handle the firearm.
Materials
- Ottoman
- Velcro
- Staple Gun
- Utility Knife
- Pliers
- Scissors
- Hammer
- Gorilla Glue
- Small piece of wood (I used a piece pine measuring 24”x3”x3/8”)
- Regular Stapler
So, the first thing you’ll want to do is make sure your ottoman actually has a space where you can hide items. In the ottoman, I picked up from target, there is a piece of black fabric that covers the bottom of the lid that can’t be seen from the outside when closed. I used the needle nose pliers to carefully remove the staples without tearing the fabric. Inside, there is just enough space to fit some items without them being visible, even with the ottoman open.
Originally, I took all but a few of the bottom staples off from each side. You can see in the video, that I changed my mind halfway through because all I needed was the left-hand side for my handgun. You can go either way, whichever best suits your needs. Just make sure you have enough Velcro to cover the entire perimeter.
Next, I took a measuring tape and measured the inside part of the ottoman, underneath the lip, to get an idea of what I length the pine needed to be cut. I believe mine was around 20” or so, and then I added 1/8” to it to make sure the pine was snug. I set the wood inside, wedged it up as far as I could get it, then gently tapped it with the hammer until it was neatly and snuggly in place where I wanted it.
Depending on the wood you use and size of your ottoman, you may have to play around with the length of this. Just remember you can always take off more if it doesn’t fit, but you can’t ever putt anymore back on!
Then, with the little bit of wood left, I laid that horizontally along the lip below and super glued it into place. This made a nice spot to hold extra magazines. You may want to use clamps, or the magazines to help hold it in place.
Next, I took the Velcro I picked up and cut it in half, length wise. The Velcro came in 2” strip x 4’, and I didn’t need to use the whole 2” width so I decided to save some for another project. After trimming the Velcro, I eyeballed the outer area of where the fabric met the lid of the ottoman and cut it to length. When doing this, you’ll want to be sure to cut it to just the right length or else the Velcro may stick out and your hiding spot will be exposed!
Do this for all 3 sides of the fabric. Now take the adhesive backing off and line each piece up on the lid first and ensure each one lines up flush with the fabric. Ensure the same side of the Velcro is on the lid, in other words, make sure it’s all the rough side or all the furry side on the same side. Once they do, take your staple gun and staple these in every 6” to 8”.
Take the other side of the Velcro and attach the corresponding piece to the Velcro you already installed. Remove the protective backing and you’ll see the factory adhesive will not stick very well to the fabric; don’t worry. Slide your hand across and try to get it to stick the best you can. Carefully pull the black fabric off, helping the Velcro until it’s all the way off. Take your regular stapler and attach this Velcro every couple of inches. The important thing to do here is to make sure you do it under the flap of fabric at the end!
My ottoman, and I imagine most others, have a sort of seam cover that helps hide these staples. Putting the staples under this will help the concealment even more. If your ottoman does not have this, take a black sharper and color the staples instead.
By now the glue you used early should be mostly dry. Take your unloaded and cleared handgun and check to see how it fits against the piece of pine hammered in place earlier. The top of the of the ottoman is cushioned so you should have some leeway in terms of fit. Leave the handgun in, put the fabric back up, and check around the ottoman to make sure it is not able to be seen from the outside. Open and close the fabric a couple times to make sure it fits and is secure.
That’s it! Enjoy your new hideaway spot that you made for less than $30! Once you have it done, be sure to send me a picture or post a link to it in the comments below!