anowires are widely used for energy harvesting, sensors, and solar cells. We report a study on the role of buffer layer in the growth of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires (NWs) synthesised by a chemical bath deposition (CBD) method. To control the thickness of the buffer layer, multilayer coatings corresponding to one layer (100 nm thick), three layers (300 nm thick), and six layers (600 nm thick) of ZnO sol–gel thin-films were used. The evolution of the morphology and structure of ZnO NWs was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, photoluminescence, and Raman spectroscopy. Highly C-oriented ZnO (002)-oriented NWs were obtained on both substrates, silicon and ITO, when the thickness of the buffer layer was increased. The role of ZnO sol–gel thin films used as a buffer layer for the growth of ZnO NWs with (002)-oriented grains also resulted in a significant change in surface morphology on both substrates. The successful deposition of ZnO NWs on a variety of substrates, as well as the promising results, open up a wide range of applications.