I just removed the carpet in the finished attic in my new 110 year old house. The floor underneath has a tremendous amount of paint on it but I'm trying to determine whether it's actually a hardwood such as found throughout the house. The unfinished attic spaces also have a similar looking board. It is a tongue-n-groove board floor. My intention was to lay a laminate floor in this room but i'd like to determine whether I have an existing hardwood floor that could be resurfaced instead. How can I tell?

Thanks for any info.

The easiest way to find if your floor can be sanded and finished is to call a floor contractor.
If you can look on the underside you will be able to see what specie of wood you have, if the floor is both the finish floor and the sub-floor. You may see it from the basement, if you have one.
If you have two layers of flooring then the top layer can be sanded even if it is a soft wood floor vs. a hardwood floor. Many old floors are softwood and with the modern finishes available they can be finished to look beautiful and last a long time with no special maintenance...
Painted floors have a special problem that comes from being painted. If the paint is from before 1978 it could have lead in it to help it last longer and be easier to touch up when worn. Lead paint removal requires special training so the job can be done safely. Not all contractors have had the training and certification because it costs money to go to the abatement classes and get certified.
A laminate floor will encapsulate the paint whether lead based or not. Laminates look great and have been holding up very well, even in kitchens. If the are trimmed well with base board around the edges and reducer strip where necessary they work with any architecture. Follow the directions that come with the product.