Chromatography is a means of separating mixtures into their several components. TLC, mainly a liquid/solid process, is one of the separation techniques most often used. It is indispensable in laboratories dealing with natural products, organic and analytical chemistry. Commercial chromatography plates are offered at relatively high cost. In this work the construction of a hand-operated plate coater of stationary phases of low cost and good reproducibility is described to be used in teaching laboratories and research.