In the formation of a fluoropolymer non-stick layer on a substrate such as of cookware and bakeware, improved adhesion of the layer is obtained by co-grinding at least the polymer binder component with the pigment component. In an aqueous system, this co-grinding is carried out in water which contains a surfactant and the polymer binder is soluble in the water or water organic solvent mixture the resultant co-ground aqueous dispersion/solution is blended with aqueous dispersion of fluoropolymer to form the coating composition. Addition of inorganic filler film hardener to the co-grinding step also improves the scratch resistance of the of the non-stick layer.