The surfaces of apparatuses and apparatus parts for chemical plant construction, including, for example, apparatus, container and reactor walls, discharge apparatuses, fittings, pumps, filters, compressors, centrifuges, columns, heat exchangers, dryers, comminuting machines, internals, packings and mixing elements, are coated by a process wherein protuberances having a mean height of from 100 nm to 50 &mgr;m with a mean spacing of from 100 nm to 100 &mgr;m are produced on the surface to be coated and the coating is applied thereon by currentless deposition of a metal layer or of a metal-polymer dispersion layer with the aid of a plating bath which contains a metal electrolyte, a reducing agent and optionally a polymer or polymer blend to be deposited, in dispersed form.