Did not realize it was a hard plastic. I thought it was the same material as a set I had previously purchased and loved.  That was my misunderstanding. However, the directions, if you even want to call them that, we’re basically non-existent.  It was just some pictures to follow, no words or explanations, and none of the pieces were labeled. On top of that there were several hardware pieces missingbroken off.  Unfortunately, we did not encounter this until the last step. Taking it all apart was not really an option, so we made it work and are hoping for the best.  If I can get a few summers out of it, I’ll be happy. Cushions are also very stiff, not as comfy as others sets I have purchased in the past. I love Wayfair, but was not happy with this purchase at all.