Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is a process commonly used for the synthesis of thin films for several important technological applications, for example, microelectronics, hard coatings, and smart windows. Unfortunately, the complexity and prohibitive cost of CVD equipment makes it seldom available for undergraduate chemistry students. Here, a simple CVD experiment designed to give hands-on experience with this technique--using common chemical laboratory equipment--is outlined. The experiment is suitable for an upperlevel or graduate course on inorganic chemistry, materials chemistry or materials science. In the experiment, crystalline thin films of titanium nitride (TiN) are deposited using titanium tetrachloride, hydrogen, and nitrogen gas in an experimental setup based on a tube furnace and common safety flasks. Typically, crystalline TiN films with some incorporation of TiO[subscript 2] are deposited in this experiment. The experiment has been used in the teaching of both master and doctorial students.