PURPOSE: To improve working efficiency, etc., of the coating work by shortening the passages of the coating material to reduce the coating material loss and the consumption of the washing fluid, etc.

CONSTITUTION: The color switching valve device is provided with the first passage of the coating material 13A and the second passage of the coating material 13B in the manifold, the inflow side switching valves 19A and 19B, each of which selectively links any one of the passages 13A and 13B to the air valve 17 and the thinner valve 18 through the inflow side common passage 14 at the time of performing the washing, and further the outflow side switching valves 20A and 20B, each of which selectively links any one of the passages 13A and 13B to the electrostatic coater 6 through the outflow side common passage 15 and the coating material pipe 8 at the time of performing the coating. Thus when the amount of the coating material passing through each of the coating material valves 16 is equal, the passage length L1 of each of the passages of the coating material 13A and 13B is shorter than those of the devices using conventional technologies and therefore the amounts of the residual coating material and the washing thinner can be reduced.