Little Ms. Fix-It-Up: Andrea Ridout

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FROM THE TIME she opened her first antique business in college, Andrea Ridout has been hooked on home improvement, whether it's refinishing old Victorian dressers or laying new kitchen tile. The Texas-based DIY expert doles out tips on her nationally syndicated radio show, "Ask Andrea," and in articles for magazines like This Old House Journal and Country Home.

We caught up with her to ask for pad-updating ideas and to get the scoop on her just-published new home-improvement bible, "If I Had a Hammer" ($18, Collins).

» EXPRESS: What do first-timers need to know about owning a home?
» RIDOUT: I have two daughters in their 20s, and they don't realize the amount of work that goes into owning or even renting a home. Watch for anything that's going to deteriorate your space.

» EXPRESS: So, maintenance is crucial?
» RIDOUT: It's like anything else. If you don't brush your teeth every day, your teeth are going to rot. If you don't maintain your home, your house is going to rot. So, clean out the gutters. Make sure that everything is caulked. Check the drainage. Do anything that you can to keep surfaces primed and painted and not let your paint get to a point where it's peeling.

» EXPRESS: In the book, you write that some of these quick fixes can save you money. How?
» RIDOUT: When it comes to installation, gaps are the enemy. Just imagine Fort Knox. You could have Fort Knox, but if you have a little doorway open, people are going to run in and out. Look at your attic and your perimeter walls for those gaps where your money can leak out.

» EXPRESS: As a child, you worked on fixing up an old Victorian house with your family. What was that like?
» RIDOUT: It was a blast. Some of my best memories from my childhood are from Indiana and fixing up that old house. I was only 6 to 7 years old, but I knew how to mix up mortar and how to place brick and hold a paint brush. Not just was it a great learning experience, but it was a very good bonding time for all of us kids and my parents.

» EXPRESS: How do keep calm when working on stressful projects with family?
» RIDOUT: It really comes down to respect. If you respect each other, then you're going to be able to live with it. You have to remember it's only paint. It's only wallpaper. It's only flooring. It's not people. You have to put things in perspective.

I really think that if you can get your head on straight, and you can work together, building a house together or remodeling a home is one of the best ways that a couple can get to know one another.

If you're dating someone and you really want to find out, "Hey, is this somebody I'm going to be able row a boat with for the next 20-30 years?,' do a remodeling project together. Go volunteer for Habitat [for Humanity] or something like that together. You'll find out an awful lot about each other.

» EXPRESS: Besides being a DIY fanatic, you've also got a passion for antiques.
» RIDOUT: Oh, I'm a nut for antiques. It doesn't matter if it's an old apple crate that's falling apart or a beautiful fine piece from 17th-century France. I just love antique furniture, and that's how I got my start in the business.

» EXPRESS: Any tips on refinishing antiques?
» RIDOUT: When you're working with antique furniture or old houses, the less you do the better when you are refinishing or refurbishing. Use caution when it comes to stripping down the finish. Unless it is in really horrific shape, don't strip it. There are products that you can use — and I've mentioned two in the book — that sort of melt down that top layer of finish without stripping that beautiful patina underneath. They will liven up that antique without making it look refinished and plastic.

I look at it almost like a facial scrub. You know how your skin gets all tacky-looking and you take that facial scrub and you scrub it on and, wow — that fresh, new skin is there? The same thing goes with old houses. The less you can do, the better. It just slays me when I go into an old home that was built in, you know, 1890 and someone has ripped out all the old kitchen cabinets. Why do that? If you're going to do that, buy a new house!

» EXPRESS: Do you think you can put antiques in mod-looking apartments?
» RIDOUT: I think you can selectively mix them. It says to people who come to your home, "I do care about history. Maybe I've got one foot in the present, but I still have one foot in the past, and I want to honor the history of this country or maybe your heritage."

» EXPRESS: What cautions do you give to people who are just getting started doing home improvements?
» RIDOUT: You just can't go overboard when you're talking about safety. Safety glasses, gloves, knee pads, ear plugs —for $25 you can buy pretty much all the equipment that any normal homeowner needs. I have a couple of relatives who are missing a digit on their fingers from not being cautious enough.

Ladder safety — that's another one. Never ever stand on the top two steps of a ladder. Never reach from a ladder. Do I sound like I'm on my soapbox today?

» EXPRESS: With so many hazards, DIY projects can be intimidating. What do you say to a newbie?
» RIDOUT: Most home improvement projects are fairly simple if you just follow a step-by-step instruction manual, whether it's my book or someone else's.

If you really want to learn how to do home improvement — and I mentioned this earlier —start volunteering with one of the building groups, either Habitat for Humanity or Rebuilding Together, or there are other groups in every town.

They're going to teach you how to do it so you can be helpful on the job site and you'll really understand how things go together —the electrical wiring, the plumbing and so forth. When you are doing remodeling, you learn all that stuff. Well, why not learn it while also doing some good for someone else?

If you don't have an opportunity to do Habitat, maybe just help a friend. You can both learn from each other and maybe when you're ready to do your place, they'll come and help you. I'm sure they'd appreciate the help

It's the old barn-raising like the Amish have done for years. Maybe the first time you go to a barn-raising you don't know what in the world you're doing. But by the third or fourth time you go, you're leading a crew and it's the same concept in home improvement.

And it's more fun. Buy a keg of beer, invite everybody over, and say, "Hey, we're going to paint my house this weekend. Everybody, come, bring your brushes, and we're going to have some fun."

Written by Express contributor Julia Beizer