We’ve got pipe corrals that are atleast 40 years old maybe 50 and still standing and absorbing pressure from cattle. They are unpainted. We have one big set of corrals down at what you might call the headquarters and it was painted about 5 years ago. It was painted white with what the painter said was commercial marine grade pipe used on ships. There’s a few of these traveling painters that come through here every year or two going door to door looking to paint barns, corrals and feed bins. The paint has held up well. The guy has a a big crew and the use sprayers. I’m sure there’s lots of waste but it is done fast. Real fast. Lol. Now for my opinion, like I said we’ve got many corrals and fence braces that are many years old unpainted and held up fine. It’s important to have fully welded joints and capped tops. Water inside the pipe is what causes problems. Now another reason I’m against painted (especially bright like white) corrals is that cattle booger when being gathered into them. Same goes for brightly colored stock trailers. My last stock trailer I bought was tan. It’s a pretty sucker all washed up and I do keep it washed most of the time but the first few loads after washing it are the hardest to load. I know I brought up some points that may not apply to your situation but there ya have it. In summary, my advice is use good pipe, fully weld joints, cap all openings and leave it bare.
