OK: Now for full disclosure. Thirty-seven years ago I started and still own a company that formulates epoxy and urethane coating systems for a wide variety of applications.
Kern,
You might have meant this to acknowledge that you could be perceived as having a bias ... but what it means to me is that you really know what you are talking about! Particularly as I know your company and the very high regard in which it is held.
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"Professional applicators" come in all varieties -- some superb, and some ... not.
This is one of the primary reasons that I tend to DIY most of my home improvements. At the very least, I will KNOW about any mistakes that I made along the way.
But more than that, I usually find, when I start digging into the research, all sorts of horror stories about "professional" jobs that were not done properly. Most recently I have done on a complete master bath remodel, tearing out the old vinyl shower and putting in a tile shower, including a traditional "mud" pan for the drainage. Reading on some tiling forums was hair-raising -- over and over again, someone came to the forums to ask about a problem they were experiencing with their professionally installed showers ... and as they were led into the investigation by the members of the forum, all sorts of absolute no-no's and shortcuts were uncovered.
When I HAVE commissioned a professional to do some home improvement, due to lack of time to do it myself ... I have generally wished I found the time -- since I generally then have to find the time to correct the flaws in what the pro did.
</OT semi-rant>