Abstract Here we investigate the possibility to grow ZnO nanowires on (100) textured Ni‐W substrates by MOCVD at 850 °C. Due to the oxidation of Ni, direct growth of ZnO nanowires on those metallic substrates was not achieved whereas it was easily obtained on sapphire in the same conditions. Therefore, a study of a ZnO buffer layer grown at low temperature was performed in order to prevent the NiO formation. The morphology and the crystallographic orientation of the as‐grown interfacial layers were characterized by scanning emission microscopy (SEM) and XRD diffraction, and are shown to depend on the growth temperature. Subsequently, the growth of ZnO nanowires was carried out on ZnO buffer/Ni‐W pseudo‐substrates. The SEM observations reveal the growth is not homogeneous and depends on the grain orientation. (© 2016 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)