An intrinsically hydrophilic melamine-formaldehyde thin film (water contact angle of 34 degrees for a cast flat surface) was deposited on a glass substrate using aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition. The resultant resin films showed a highly developed microstructure consisting of spherical structures that were agglomerated into towers. The surface wetted via a Cassie-Baxter mechanism with air trapped underneath the water droplets and resultant water contact angles as high as 135 degrees. Film thickness and coverage were crucial in determining the wetting properties. Films with limited deposition gave hydrophilic results, whereas thicker films greater than 4 mu m were superhydrophilic. This behaviour could be explained by the ease of trapping air under the coating. It is shown that the water wetting properties of a single material can be altered from superhydrophilic to near superhydrophobic by controlling the surface microstructure in a single-step aerosol route. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.