We are in the middle of diy-ing our home and the previous owner painted the concrete porch a very terrible color that I would love to remove. . Is it possible to remove it or is it permanent and will I just have to paint over it?
Concrete can be repainted, I guess the tough part will be proper preperation so the new paint sticks to the already painted concrete. You will have to clean the surface well with TSP(Tri Sodium Phosphate) and the make sure the surface is good enough to take in new paint. I am not an expert here but I would suggest why don't you tile it instead of repainting again. Tile will give a good look and curb appeal to your home.
They do have a method called soda blasting. It would remove the paint. But the process may be a bit overkill for a porch.
I would repaint it using a good quality cement paint. A good cleaning with a power washer, should do the trick. Just be sure not to hold the wand in one spot or it will remove the cement as well if the power is high.
If the old paint is stuck down well, the only practical option is to repaint it with a new coat of porch and floor paint. You need to know if it is latex or oil before re-painting. Rubbing alcohol will dull latex paint if you rub back and forth with a saturated rag. If it's oil and you would like to use latex, it needs to be aggressively sanded to where there are no shiny places left before applying two coats of latex porch and floor paint.
I would repaint it using a good quality cement paint. A good cleaning with a power washer, should do the trick. Just be sure not to hold the wand in one spot or it will remove the cement as well if the power is high.
Best, Charles