I’m beginning to think I need to hold off and let professional people do the job. At least it’s clear enough to not look at it in disgust.
My biggest concern would be the proper prep and bonding agents.
Prep might include a light grinding to get rid of the hard troweled surface of the concrete. Many sealers require bare concrete which means getting rid of the smooth surface layer. By doing this step it creates a fresh, open, and porous surface for the epoxy to migrate into. Regular paints can peel from moisture coming up to the concrete. It can take years for this to happen.
By opening up the pores in the concrete with a grinder, it allows the epoxy to bond with the concrete more than simply laying on top of it.
We for assisted in putting some self-leveling concrete in a local history museum. The main point of the job was applying self leveling concrete to a depth of about 3/4 of an inch.
To get the self leveler to bond, and stop moisture from coming up into the concrete, a special epoxy was applied.
I to borrowed a cup grinder to Scuff the surface of the concrete and then we vacuum the floor and applied the first coat of epoxy. I think this epoxy was a moisture cure epoxy. I was told that this epoxy could be put over concrete that was 3 days old and it would stop moisture from coming up through it. That's why I'm thinking that the moisture helped cure the epoxy.....
After applying the epoxy to the bear concrete with a roller, I wrapped three or four layers of paper towels around the roller, yhen took it outside and set it down in the gravel.
As we were cleaning up, I went to grab the roller and I had to pull very hard and I literally pulled out a 12-in wide by 4 in deep wedge of gravel. The roller full of epoxy had seeped through the layers of paper towel and deep into the gravel. Impressive epoxy.
I don't know about where you live and how concerned you are with moisture coming up out of the concrete. In some places moisture vapor emissions are minimal and some places moisture emissions are extreme.
That said, I recall that you painted the floor in your basement. How is that working out?
I don't know how well anything bonds to oil drops or residue that's embedded in the concrete. It might be worth looking into epoxies to see if some bond better to oily floors.
The painting industry has created a lot of miracles over the years. If you're not in a hurry, it certainly worth a lot of detective work to figure out what is best for your floor.