How do I even start tearing up an epoxy penny floor?

You’re almost certainly looking at a full subfloor replacement if you want to fix that height transition and get a level surface for tile. Trying to scrape up thick epoxy and thousands of pennies is a massive time sink, and you'll likely chew up the plywood or OSB underneath anyway. Since the previous owner was lazy enough to pour around the toilet and vanity, there's a good chance they didn't even prep the floor with a primer or sealer, wich might make it brittle enough to pop off in a few spots. The most efficient way to handle this is to use a **circular saw** with a cheap carbide-tipped blade. Set the depth to just slightly more than the combined thickness of the epoxy and the subfloor. Cut the floor into 12x12 inch or 24x24 inch squares. You’ll kill a blade or two because of the metal pennies and the resin, but it beats spending days with a demo hammer. Once you get a pry bar under an edge, those chunks should come up fairly easily since you're taking the wood with it. Just make sure you aren't cutting into any joists. If you try to use a heat gun, you're going to deal with toxic fumes and a sticky, gummy mess that won't actualy lift. Epoxy doesn't really melt back into a liquid; it just gets soft and scorched. And definitely don't try a multitool or sawzall for the bulk of it—the vibration will drive you crazy and the blades will dull in seconds.

For the toilet and vanity, you’re probably going to have to sacrifice them. If the resin is truly thick around the base, you might be able to carefully chip it away with a **hammer drill** on the chip setting using a wide flat bit, but be prepared for the porcelain to crack. Replacing the subfloor also gives you a chance to inspect the joists where you fixed that sag and ensure your new tile job doesn't end up cracking in six months.

That sounds like a nightmare. I’m just starting to learn about home stuff, mostly doors, so this is way over my head. But if you acutally lower the floor back to where it shold be, what happens to the door?

Did the previous owners cut the bottom of the door off to make it clear the epoxy? I’m worried that if you fix the floor, you'll end up with a huge gap underneath. Is it hard to fix a door that's been trimmed too short, or do you just buy a new one?

Wow, that sounds absolutely wild! I'm a total newbie here and mostly just obsessed with door hardware, but I've never seen a floor like that. Since you're cutting out the subfloor and fixing the height, does that mean you'll have to redo the door casing too? I’ve been looking at those fancy hidden hinges for my own bathroom project and they look so sleek! Do you think those would actually hold up if the house is still settling from that sag you mentioned? I’d be so scared of everythign shifting again and ruining a perfect door fit!

Once you rip that subfloor out, you’re going to have a mess at the door opening. If the previous owner was lazy enugh to pour epoxy around a toilet, I bet they didn't undercut the jambs. You’ll likely find the bottom of those frames are encased or rotting. Don't waste time trying to patch a cheap 6-panel Masonite. Just pull the whole pre-hung unit and toss in a solid core Jeld-Wen. While you’re at it, grab a Pemko 2005AV threshold to bridge that hallway gap. It’ll look way cleaner than some shimmed-up transition strip once you finally get the floor height back to spec.

I had a similar hump at a threshold once. I tried a floor scraper first, but it just bounced off. I ended up using an angle grinder with a diamond cup wheel just to knock down the transition so I coud acutally open the door properly while I worked. If you're cutting it out like the other guy said, wear a real respirator, not just a mask. That epoxy and copper dust is brutal and hangs in the air forever. Also, keep a shop vac nozzle right next to the blade or you’ll be cleaning blue/copper dust out of your hallway closets for the next three years.

Quick update—you guys were spot on about the subfloor. I tried the heat gun for about ten minutes before realizing it was a lost cause. Cutting everythign out was the only way to fix that height gap. You also called it on the door jambs; they were totally buried in the epoxy and had to go. Glad to finally have a level starting point!