Why Don’t Professionals Use Cheaper Epoxy Floor Paints Sold At Hardware Stores?

Industrial grade epoxies typically sell for $50 to $500 per gallon. And those are the factory/manufacturer prices, not the inflated store prices (which can easily be 300% more than the 'starting price'). So why are the prices so low at the consumer super stores?

Hardware store epoxy paints are thinned down with solvents and/or water to make them go father and more user friendly for the non-professional.

Some of the epoxy coatings are old technology, no longer used by professionals.  By selling them through hardware stores they are able to squeezing out a bit more profit from an old and often outdated formula.

They are low end products to start with. Professionals need the 'good stuff' - their reputations are on the line.

Hardware store epoxy floor paints are not thick enough to provide the self leveling characteristics and long term durability demanded by contractors and requires recoating as often as every year due to their lack of durability and dry film coating thickness.