HOME IMPROVEMENT : Handy Repair Help Is a Page Away in Do-It-Yourself Books

Home repair is taking on a new urgency in quake-shaken Southern California, and even amateurs are taking a look at problems such as loose tiles and cracked plaster and wondering if they can fix it themselves.

A scouting trip to a bookstore could provide the answer.

Anyone who habitually tackles home-remodeling projects--according to the U.S. Census Bureau, that’s almost half the home-owning population--knows there is no scarcity of information. Before the Northridge earthquake, do-it-yourself was already a major theme for the belt-tightening ‘90s. The most popular program on PBS is “This Old House,” and today’s brides are registering for power tools along with china and silver.

The surge of home-repair books, magazines, videos and TV shows presents a mixed blessing for the novice remodeler. Choosing the right reference source has become almost as daunting as wandering the aisles at the local builders’ supply store with its acres of tools and materials.

Leading a parade of new home-repair books is “The Reader’s Digest Book of Skills and Tools,” a fat, colorful volume published last fall. It promises help for everyone from the novice who tightens screws with a butter knife to the artisan preparing to install parquet flooring.

The book joins a long list of Reader’s Digest do-it-yourself titles, including “The Home Improvement Manual” and “The New, Complete Do-It-Yourself Manual.”

The 360-page book has 2,000 illustrations, including 800 photographs of hand and power tools and accessories and 1,000 detailed drawings of techniques.

“An empowering book,” says Doug Dutton, owner of Dutton’s Brentwood Books. “Going to a Home Depot is an overwhelming experience. You could take this book to the hardware store and point.”

He says the tightened economy is only one reason for a booming interest in do-it-yourself books.

“In a time when we seem to have so little power over what’s around us--we don’t even know what’s under the hood of our car anymore--this is one of the few areas where you can actually have a certain amount of control over what you’re doing,” he says.

“Skills and Tools” ($30) is one of four major new books offering an encyclopedic scope for home repairs and remodeling, he says. Others:

* “Bob Vila’s Toolbox,” $25, William Morrow, 235 pages. The well-known home renovator (“This Old House” and “Bob Vila’s Home Again”), who is also the TV spokesman for Sears, offers a comprehensive illustrated guide to hand and power tools.

* “The Stanley Complete Step-by-Step Book of Home Repair and Improvement,” $25, Simon and Schuster, 470 pages. The emphasis is on projects, from installing alarm systems to masonry. Replete with color drawings of tools and equipment and a bonus of $75 worth of coupons from the Stanley Tool Co.

* Ortho’s Home Improvement Encyclopedia, $24.95, Ortho, 511 pages. Heavy focus on photographs, with some line drawings, of specific interior and exterior projects such as building a patio.

Television and home videos also are popular with do-it-yourself consumers.

Two PBS staples are produced at Boston’s WGBH-TV. “This Old House,” now in its 10th year, focuses each season on the comprehensive renovation of one house. It airs in Orange County on Saturdays at 4:30 p.m. on KOCE Channel 50 and at 5:30 p.m. on KCET Channel 28. “New Yankee Workshop,” which concentrates on woodworking projects, launched its sixth season in January with an emphasis on children’s toys and furniture. It airs Saturdays at 4 p.m. on KOCE and at 5 p.m. on KCET.

For do-it-yourselfers, both shows produce a line of videos demonstrating specific projects.

Tips on Safety for Home Work

For people unaccustomed to doing their own home repairs, maintenance or remodeling, “The Reader’s Digest Book of Skills and Tools” offers safety advice:

* Make sure you have safety equipment--such as goggles, earplugs and dust masks--appropriate for the task.

* Don’t wear gloves when handling tools that require a firm grip. Do wear them when working with rough materials, sharp edges and broken glass and when cleaning up after a project.

* If a cutting tool stalls because of an impediment, switch off the power and unplug the tool before trying to remove the impediment.

* If you set up a ladder or scaffold in front of a door, lock or bar the door.

* When using a ladder, climb only as high as the third step from the top; never stand on the braces, extension arms or paint shelf.

* When soldering, remember that lead solder is toxic. The work area should be ventilated.

* Always wear eye protection when working with metal to prevent injury from splinters; also wear heavy gloves and long sleeves to protect against sharp edges.

* Install a fire extinguisher and smoke alarms in your work area.

* When working with tools, don’t wear sandals, open-toe or canvas shoes, and avoid loose-fitting clothing, which could become entangled in a power tool and cause serious injury.

* Don’t leave tools, hardware or building materials lying around when not in use. They’re an invitation to an accident, especially if you have children.