PURPOSE: To minimize the defective coating on starting coating and on finishing coating and to improve the yield of products by adjusting the timing of starting and finishing of leveling according to the position of a thick film part of a material to be coated.

CONSTITUTION: A coating material receiving pan 3 is retreated on starting coating to change a coating curtain 7 from a cutoff state to a falling state. At this time, since there is the lag time between the coating material receiving pan 3 starting to retreat and a coating material in the shape of a thick film falling actually onto a material to be coated 6, the pan is synchronized with the transfer velocity of the material to be coated 6 by a controller 31 and a shutter 21 is retreated when the material is moved by a prescribed distance. After that, a leveling roll 11 is lowered to bring it into contact with the material to be coated 6. On finishing coating, since there is the lag time between the coating receiving pan 3 starting to advance and a coating material in the shape of a thick film finishing falling actually onto the material to be coated 6, the pan is synchronized with the transfer velocity of the material to be coated 6 and the leveling roll 11 is raised when the material is moved by a prescribed distance. After that, the shutter 21 is advanced.