On Sat, 26 Jan 2008 08:03:09 -0800 (PST), G Francis
wrote:

I recently bought an abandoned farm house from the the early 1900's.
It has softwood flooring that has been covered by carpet and vinyl. I
would like to restore the wood and have been given conflicting advice
about softwood. Is it okay to sand the floor with a lower grit to get
the adhesive off the floor, or should I only use higher grit? Is the
overall process the same as hardwood floors? Thanks for any help.


It is the same. To get a nice smooth surface use 3 or 4 grit grades
working up to 220 or 250 grit. It is much easier to gouge a softer
wood, so be careful about moving or tipping the sander or being in any
spot for too long. Some sanders are much more aggressive than others.
Sanding always makes a mess so having a dust collector and a
well-fitting respirator makes good sense. Also, consider hanging
sheets of plastic to confine the dust else it will easily travel over
the house.