Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin films were prepared on platinized silicon substrates by dip-coating using a modified diol-based sol-gel route without and with up to 5 mol% PZT nanometric seeds dispersed in the precursor sol. A metastable intermetallic PTxPb phase formed at the early stages of heat treatment. XRD, TEM, and RBS revealed that the thickness and stoichiometry of the PtxPb layer varied with the concentration of seeds and heat treatment of the films. The relation of the PtxPb layer to the final crystalline texture of the PZT thin films is reported and discussed.