For many reasons. Cypress is well known for its resistance to insects, rot and decay. Its color consistency and relative lack of knots are distinctive characteristics which make cypress an excellent choice for outdoor furniture. It glues well, sands easily and readily accepts finishes.The only downside to cypress is that since we began building furniture 20 years ago, cypress has nearly tripled in price!Speaking of high prices, that's the reason teak is impossible to use in stateside furniture production. As of early 2021, the price of teak is about $25 per board foot. A board foot is a 12” square of wood, one inch thick. Even our smallest piece of furniture use 3-5 board feet of lumber. Larger pieces can use 10-15 board feet. That means that even for the smallest piece we make, we would have to pay $75-$125 in material before making the first cut!We'll never sell plastic furniture. The environmental disaster that plastic has created is familiar to everyone so we try to reduce its use in our homelife and in the shop.