Can a softwood be sanded like a hardwood?

Q imported from our old site, Face Lift Floors: We have bought a 125 yr old home on the outskirts of Montreal. The original floor appears to be intact under at least 4 layers of carpet/plywood/tile etc. The inspector tells us the wood is pine or beech. Dimensions of the flooring boards appear to be 3″ by 4″. Once everything is removed off the old floor can a softwood be sanded like hardwood, or is what we see what we get?

A: Yes, absolutely, you can sand any wood floor regardless of hardness, provided it is in salvageable shape. It can be a bit more difficult if the wood is extremely soft.

I have refinished many old pine floors which really have a unique country sort of look since they have darkened with age. As long as you can accept these aged floors, warts and all! New pine is plain and boring to look at, but aged wood is not. So, sounds to me like you may be sitting on something wonderful under all those layers.

Original / moved link https://faceliftfloors.com/q-and-a/softwood.php

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