First, sputtering deposition of Au, Ag, Pt and Pd resulted in changes to the electrical resistance of carbon nanotube (CNT) films due to electron localization followed by creation of percolation pathways. Metal-CNT composites created this way showed different reaction of electrical resistance to temperature as well as thermal stability. Furthermore, their surface properties show much higher affinity towards aqueous media than as-made CNT films. Finally, we have developed an easy way of tailoring the size of metal clusters on the surface of CNT films depending on the employed deposition and heating conditions. Electrothermal sintering yielded metal clusters of controlled size that showed big potential for the application in catalyst-assisted chemical transformations. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.