The effect of chopping on the adhesion and internal stress of cerium oxide thin films and their response to ambient aging are reported here. Chopping increases the adhesion and decreases the stress in the films. The chopped cerium oxide films are able to withstand ambient aging effects better than non-chopped films. Both chopped and non-chopped films show a decrease in adhesion and an increase in stress upon exposure to air and humidity and an increase in adhesion on heating. The decreased stress and increased adhesion due to chopping are discussed in terms of modification of the wetting characteristics and thereby changes in the morphology of the film. Chopping also seems to enhance the oxygen affinity of the adatoms. X-ray diffraction results confirm the presence of excess oxygen in the chopped film. The chopping technique offers a low-temperature alternative for obtaining films with adhesion similar to those deposited on a heated substrate.