Buying new may not be all it’s cracked up to be right now in home furnishings.

If you’ve ordered furniture in the past year or so, you know it’s become a mysterious waiting game. “Backordered” and “out of stock” are often the dreaded obstacles.

Due to persistent supply issues brought on by increased demand from homebodies, factory shutdowns and employee shortages, that new sofa or leather chair is often taking six months or longer. Even worse, that vague arrival date can become a wild guess with multiple delays after you plopped down a hefty deposit months earlier.

Hopefully, you remember what the thing is supposed to look like by the time it gets in your house. And that it’s upholstered in the right fabric.

Reupholstering or slipcovering, however, can shortcut troublesome supply snags, starting with what you already have. Reinventing your current furniture avoids having to buy new from overseas manufacturers.

Making old stuff new again is easily done locally by skilled craftsmen, an added bonus of keeping it local. Re-covering avoids landfilling bulky castaways, an added plus. The reduce, reuse and recycle slogan applies here. Call it furniture 2.0.

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But how to begin and what to consider? What’s a good candidate for slipcovers or reupholstery? Here’s insider advice from three seasoned professionals with well over 100 years of combined experience between them. They include Greg Bonk, owner of Calico Corners, a fabric, furniture and interior design shop at 18525 W. Blue Mound Road in Brookfield since 1984; Michele Andrae of Hartland, who’s been professionally sewing slipcovers for over 40 years; and Oscar Chavez, owner of Oscar’s Upholstery Shoppe, 203 N. 33rd St., who’s been restoring furniture in Milwaukee for over three decades.

Bonk, at Calico Corners, said many of his customers just don’t want to wait six months or more for furniture and opt to re-cover, which usually takes only four to six weeks.

“I can get something freshened up ... and not wait a year,” is something Bonk hears from people, many of them repeat customers. In addition to speedier results, he said, there are three main reasons to re-cover existing furniture.

“It’s an heirloom, some sort of family piece,” Bonk said. Or, he said, the sofa or chair is higher-end, well made and classic, so the investment of re-covering is worthwhile.

Lastly, he said, the piece fits and functions in the room and the owner can’t find a suitable replacement. “They’ve looked all over town and they can’t find anything,” he said.

As for selecting fabric, Bonk said solids, often textural and neutral-colored, are in demand. “The piece of furniture isn’t so much the focal point. It just goes with everything and you accent with pillows, art, rugs,” he said.

As for specific color, he added, “Gray just won’t die.”

“The biggest thing is performance fabric. It’s a big deal,” he added. Performance fabric is treated so stains can easily be removed even on lighter tones.

After decades in the business, Bonk figures people change up their interiors every 10 years or so. He’s also noticed older clientele tend to value longevity in furniture. Younger buyers don’t seem as mindful in buying furniture that will last, instead opting for more disposable pieces they throw out after five years.

Bonk hears local resale and consignment furniture stops are “going gangbusters,” with people rescuing vintage items to re-cover.

Older furniture is generally better made, according to Chavez, who’s been re-covering furniture for over 30 years at his Oscar’s Upholstery Shoppe in Milwaukee. He services all of the southeastern Wisconsin communities, some as far away as Thiensville, Oconomowoc and Racine. He even picks up and delivers.

“We do mostly quality furniture,” he explained, often antique or heirloom pieces. “Old furniture, they are completely solid framing,” Chavez said, referring to pieces made pre-1970s.

The oldest piece he ever redid was about 250 years old. When he delivered the chair back to the owner, she wept because the chair brought back so many fond memories of her grandmother, Chavez said.

Upholstery is a skilled craft he learned attending Milwaukee Area Technical College many years ago for his associate's degree, Chavez said.

It’s not easy, especially for inexperienced weekend warriors without proper training or tools. Every now and again, he redoes the botched effort of DIYers.

“It probably happens at least three times a year. Some pieces are very complicated to do,” he said, involving decorative tufting, piping or metal tacks, or aligning large patterns or stripes in the fabric pattern.

He also works with leather. He handles some commercial upholstery but mostly works for homeowners. It takes 30 to 40 hours to redo a sofa, Chavez said, depending on whether any repairs are needed to the frame, or if springs or foam need replacing.

He’s even turned away business for low-quality items. “No, it’s too cheap, disposable,” he tells them, when confronted with pieces too shoddy to redo.

Generally, reupholstery at Oscar’s takes about three to four weeks.

Chavez recommended resale shops as older furniture sources.

“Go to secondhand places or consignment places to buy furniture and upholstery because those are quality. And you don’t have to pay big money for secondhand,” he said.

What about slipcovers, the practical and removable way to cover furniture?

Slipcovers appeal to those seeking a more relaxed look and offer an easily washable choice, especially for those with children or pets. Popping them in the washing machine is a low-maintenance, low-cost method of keeping the furniture clean, according to slipcover sewer Andrae, in Hartland.

“They want to be able to take it off because their dog won’t get off the couch,” she said. Or, “I think some people just like the look. People aren’t as formal as they used to be.”

One past customer chose white slipcovers even though she had six kids. New slipcovers are also a simple solution to dumping unwanted furniture in landfills.

“Slipcover customers tend to be different than the people who just buy new. They have good pieces that are worth doing,” said Andrae.

With furniture, she said, the best slipcover candidates have loose cushions. Although not ideal, tight backs and seats can be done as well.

“If their furniture is structurally sound and they still like the lines of it and it fits well in their space, then it is worth slipcovering,” she said.

There are limits to slipcovers, though. Decorative tufting can’t be done, neither can recliners with their moving parts.

Over the years, Andrae has seen tastes change in fabrics.

“Since 2008, I saw the trend go from patterns to solids because solids are easier to work around. Before, I used to do a lot of florals, plaids. I rarely do anything dark anymore. Whites, grays . . . change the look with accessories,” she said.

Andrae recommended fabric shoppers visit a store to  see and touch the fabric. She said the staff at Calico Corners is helpful and knowledgeable, important assets when you're faced with thousands of choices and investing in something you’ll sit on for years.

“You want to get an 8-ounce to 10-ounce fabric,” she explained. “One hundred percent cotton is best, or cotton blend for slipcovers.”

As of late January, it’s taking her about a month to fill orders.

Andrae learned to sew as a young girl. Her grandmother taught her (sewing skips a generation, she said), plus she made clothes in 4-H club. She started sewing slipcovers for a professional slipcover maker in 1978.

“That’s how I learned it: from someone else. You don’t go to school for slipcovers, you pretty much learn it from someone else,” she said. “There is nothing like on-site learning; you don’t learn this from a book.”

Slipcovers are especially tricky because each piece is different.

“It takes two years of doing it to get good,” Andrae said.

What about equipment? “I sew on a vintage machine. They are just made better. Anything after 1970 has a lot of plastic parts and they break easily,” she explained.

While she owns seven sewing machines, her 1964 Pfaff 230 is her model of choice.

She hopes her old machines continue being useful.

Andrae, Chavez and Bonk all mentioned was that t younger workers don't seem interested in learning upholstery or slipcover sewing despite a demand for the craft. Chavez said some local upholsterers have passed away or retired, with no one stepping in to fill the ranks.

“It’s kinda sad,” said Bonk. “There’s work out there.”

“It’s hard work,” saided Andrae.

Jennifer Rude Klett is a Wisconsin freelance writer of Midwestern life and author of “Home Cooking Comeback” and “Alamo Doughboy.” Contact her at jrudeklett.com.