The formation of metallic film on a steel surface from zinc-butanol sol has been studied. Some experimentally obtained relationships for the film growth kinetics are presented. Fairly thick coatings have been produced by two methods : by immersing a substrate into the colloid and by dripping colloid onto the substrate surface. Dependences of the deposited film thickness on the initial weight fraction of Zn particles have been found to be quite different for these two methods. A theoretical model for such film growth, based on the Smoluchowski coagulation theory, has been proposed.