"We rented out our apartment to creative people who turned out to have some writing skills as well. The entire kitchen had bottle tags attached to the walls, the curtain rod was broken and there was a layer of dust everywhere. I am not posting the photos of the room because it has scripts for a future book."
Paint should be stripped or scraped. When you try to sand paint off it will cost you a small fortune in sandpaper as it gums up within a few mins and is useless.
Depends what the coating is of course. If it were me I'd use acetone and wire wool / scraper to clear the bulk. Then a larger floor sander to get rid of the divets and bring out the finish. That guys making the job look painful.