What makes a bone inlay sideboard different
How bone inlay is made, and the checks for gaps, lifted pieces, resin pinholes, colour and bone species, are on the bone inlay furniture page. Level, door gaps, drawers and tip-over apply to every sideboard and are on the sideboards and buffets page. A sideboard is the largest inlaid piece most buyers order, and its size creates problems a small chest or mirror does not have.
- Weight on the doors. Every door is covered in bone and resin, often on its edges as well. A door can weigh much more than a plain one of the same size, and it hangs on hinges screwed into a carcass that is often MDF or plywood.
- Inlay over joints. Artisans lay the pattern across the whole face. Where the inlay runs over a joint between two parts of the carcass, such as top to side, any movement in that joint shows as a crack in the resin.
- Doors that meet. Inlay wrapped round door edges leaves bone edges facing each other across a narrow gap. If the gap is tight, they chip each other.
- A closed box. Resin and sealer give off a smell while they cure. A cabinet with closed doors traps it.
What we check on bone inlay sideboards
| Check | How it is checked | What fails |
|---|---|---|
| Door hang and hinges | Each door opened fully and released; drop at the free corner measured; hinge count and screws checked | Door drops at the corner, too few hinges for the weight, screws loose in MDF |
| Hinge fixing in board | Whether hinge screws go into MDF edges or into a solid block or insert | Screws straight into MDF edge with no block or insert |
| Door edges and gaps | Gap between doors measured; inlaid edges checked for chips after opening and closing | Gap too tight for wrapped edges, chipped bone where doors meet |
| Resin over joints | Inlay inspected along every carcass joint: top to sides, sides to plinth, face frame | Hairline crack following a joint line |
| Long front layout | Pattern centre line checked across the full front of three or four doors and drawers | Motif off-centre, a door from a different pattern batch |
| Drawer weight | Inlaid drawers run full out with a light load | Runners that drop or bind under the weight of an inlaid front |
| Inside the cabinet | Doors opened after being closed; interior finish and smell checked | Strong resin smell, raw MDF inside, dust from sanding left in corners |
| Handles | Bone or metal handles pulled by hand | Loose handle, bolt into resin only |
Common bone inlay sideboard defects and how they are classed
| Defect | Class |
|---|---|
| Unit tips forward with doors open, due to door weight | Critical |
| Door sags so it rubs or will not close | Major |
| Hinge screws pulled out of an MDF edge | Major |
| Crack in resin along a carcass joint | Major |
| Chipped bone at meeting door edges | Major |
| Strong resin odour in the closed cabinet | Major |
| Pattern slightly off-centre across the front | Minor |
| Sanding dust left inside | Minor |
Heavy doors move a sideboard's centre of gravity forward when they are open, so stability is worth checking even on a low unit. These are our default classes; your specification can change them.
Market rules that apply
- Australia. Sideboards 686 mm or taller need a permanent toppling warning label. Bone inlay surfaces are hard to label, so agree where the label goes, such as inside a door. See importing into Australia.
- US, TSCA Title VI. Many bone inlay sideboards are built on MDF or plywood. That makes them regulated finished goods needing certified panels and a label. See TSCA Title VI.
- Bone, wood and resin. The bone species statement, wildlife and animal by-product questions, Lacey Act, EUDR and REACH points are set out on the bone inlay furniture page. A sideboard simply carries more of each.
Packing, transit and loading risks
- Weight and carton grade. A large inlaid sideboard can be too heavy for a standard carton. Check gross weight against carton grade, or ask for a crate. Wooden crates need the ISPM 15 mark.
- Doors swinging. Heavy doors that swing open in transit strain the hinges and chip the edges. Block or tie them closed with soft material, not tape on the inlay.
- Packing too soon. A cabinet closed and wrapped before the resin has cured traps the smell and can mark the surface. Ask the factory how long pieces cure before packing.
- Top face. The inlaid top needs a rigid sheet over it, so nothing stacked above presses into it.
What to put in your purchase order
- Carcass material by part, and solid blocks or inserts for every hinge.
- Hinge type and number per door, and maximum allowed door drop.
- Whether door edges are inlaid, and the minimum gap between doors.
- That carcass joints are made before inlay, or that inlay stops at a joint.
- Drawer runner type rated for the weight of inlaid fronts.
- Interior finish, and a curing time before packing.
- Anti-tip kit and label position for each market.
For other sideboard materials, see wooden sideboards and cane sideboards.