Coating the surface of insulators used in a gas‐insulated switchgear (GIS) with nonlinear‐resistance material is expected to increase breakdown voltage by reducing the electric‐field concentration when metal particles adhere to the insulators. In this study, an epoxy resin with zinc oxide was used as a nonlinear‐resistance material. Tensile strength, adhesion by heat cycle test, hardness, and resistance to decomposition products of sulfur hexafluoride gas were evaluated for the nonlinear‐resistance material. It was confirmed that there were no problems with mechanical properties for application to GIS. The nonlinear‐resistance material was spray‐coated on actual post spacers, and the breakdown voltage was evaluated when metallic particles adhered to the post spacers. When the coating thickness was 20–35 μm, the breakdown voltage increased by about 8%. When the coating thickness was 50– 68 μm, however, the breakdown voltage increased by 23%, confirming that the breakdown voltage of an actual spacer improved. © 2023 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC.