diff --git a/buildbot/status/web/base.py b/buildbot/status/web/base.py
index 022e16f4072..8b99fb9848c 100644
--- a/buildbot/status/web/base.py
+++ b/buildbot/status/web/base.py
@@ -59,33 +59,6 @@ def getAndCheckProperties(req):
                 return None
             properties.setProperty(pname, pvalue, "Force Build Form")
     return properties
-def td(text="", parms={}, **props):
-    data = ""
-    data += "  "
-    #if not props.has_key("border"):
-    #    props["border"] = 1
-    props.update(parms)
-    comment = props.get("comment", None)
-    if comment:
-        data += "<!-- %s -->" % comment
-    data += "<td"
-    class_ = props.get('class_', None)
-    if class_:
-        props["class"] = class_
-    for prop in ("align", "colspan", "rowspan", "border",
-                 "valign", "halign", "class"):
-        p = props.get(prop, None)
-        if p != None:
-            data += " %s=\"%s\"" % (prop, p)
-    data += ">"
-    if not text:
-        text = "&nbsp;"
-    if isinstance(text, list):
-        data += "<br />".join(text)
-    else:
-        data += text
-    data += "</td>\n"
-    return data
 
 def build_get_class(b):
     """
@@ -168,8 +141,9 @@ def td(self, **props):
         text = self.text
         if not text and self.show_idle:
             text = ["[idle]"]
-        return td(text, props, class_=self.class_)
-
+        props['class'] = self.class_
+        props['text'] = text;
+        return props    
 
 class HtmlResource(resource.Resource):
     # this is a cheap sort of template thingy
diff --git a/buildbot/status/web/grid.py b/buildbot/status/web/grid.py
index 4e04fa358cf..8add7af14ab 100644
--- a/buildbot/status/web/grid.py
+++ b/buildbot/status/web/grid.py
@@ -8,9 +8,7 @@
 from buildbot import util
 from buildbot import version
 from buildbot.status.web.base import HtmlResource
-#from buildbot.status.web.base import Box, HtmlResource, IBox, ICurrentBox, \
-#     ITopBox, td, build_get_class, path_to_build, path_to_step, map_branches
-from buildbot.status.web.base import build_get_class
+from buildbot.status.web.base import build_get_class, path_to_builder, path_to_build
 
 # set grid_css to the full pathname of the css file
 if hasattr(sys, "frozen"):
@@ -69,11 +67,10 @@ def build_cxt(self, request, build):
             text = [ 'building' ]
 
         name = build.getBuilder().getName()
-        number = build.getNumber()
 
         cxt = {}
         cxt['name'] = name
-        cxt['url'] = "builders/%s/builds/%d" % (name, number)
+        cxt['url'] = path_to_build(request, build)
         cxt['text'] = text
         cxt['class'] = build_get_class(build)
         return cxt
@@ -99,7 +96,7 @@ def builder_cxt(self, request, builder):
         # instead. The only times it should show up in "current activity" is
         # when the builder is otherwise idle.
 
-        cxt = { 'url': urllib.quote(builder.getName(), safe=''),
+        cxt = { 'url': path_to_builder(request, builder),
                 'name': builder.getName(),
                 'state': state,
                 'n_pending': len(builder.getPendingBuilds()) }
diff --git a/buildbot/status/web/templates/box_macros.html b/buildbot/status/web/templates/box_macros.html
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..4c3ef54e798
--- /dev/null
+++ b/buildbot/status/web/templates/box_macros.html
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+{% macro box(text=[], comment=None) -%}
+
+{%- if comment -%}<!-- {{ comment }} -->{%- endif -%}
+<td class="{{ kwargs.class or kwargs.class_ or "" }}"
+  {%- for prop in ("align", "colspan", "rowspan", "border", "valign", "halign") -%}
+    {%- if prop in kwargs -%}
+      {{ prop }}="{{ kwargs[prop] }}"                 
+    {%- endif -%}
+  {%- endfor -%}>
+  {{- text|join("<br/>") -}}
+  </td>
+{% endmacro %}
diff --git a/buildbot/status/web/templates/buildstatus.html b/buildbot/status/web/templates/buildstatus.html
index cc49135e1b9..c917e25f3d3 100644
--- a/buildbot/status/web/templates/buildstatus.html
+++ b/buildbot/status/web/templates/buildstatus.html
@@ -1,11 +1,13 @@
 {% extends "layout.html" %}
+{% from "box_macros.html" import box %}
+
 
 {% block content %}
 <table>
   {% for r in rows %}
-    <tr>{{ r }}</tr>
+    <tr>{{ box(r) }}</tr>
   {% endfor %}
 
-  <tr>{{ build }}</tr>
+  <tr>{{ box(build) }}</tr>
 </table>
 {% endblock %}
diff --git a/buildbot/status/web/templates/oneboxperbuilder.html b/buildbot/status/web/templates/oneboxperbuilder.html
index 69763bb92cc..9238aad8971 100644
--- a/buildbot/status/web/templates/oneboxperbuilder.html
+++ b/buildbot/status/web/templates/oneboxperbuilder.html
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 {% import 'forms.html' as forms %}
+{% from "box_macros.html" import box %}
 
 <h1>Latest builds: {{ branches|join(', ')|e }}</h1>
 
@@ -14,7 +15,7 @@ <h1>Latest builds: {{ branches|join(', ')|e }}</h1>
   {% else %}
     <td class="LastBuild box">no build</td>
   {% endif %}  
-  {{ b.current_box }}
+  {{ box(**b.current_box) }}
 {% endfor %}
 </table>
 
diff --git a/buildbot/status/web/templates/waterfall.html b/buildbot/status/web/templates/waterfall.html
index 96f5c77abe7..ecb6956e95d 100644
--- a/buildbot/status/web/templates/waterfall.html
+++ b/buildbot/status/web/templates/waterfall.html
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
 {% extends "layout.html" %}
+{% from "box_macros.html" import box %}
+
 {% block head %}
   {{ super() }}
   <meta http-equiv="refresh" content="{{refresh}}"/>
@@ -44,7 +46,16 @@
 {% endfor %}
 </tr>
 
-{{ waterfall }}
+{# waterfall contents goes here #}    
+{% for i in range(gridlen) -%}
+  <tr>
+  {% for strip in grid -%}        
+    {%- if strip[i] -%}{{ box(**strip[i]) }}
+    {%- elif no_bubble -%}{{ box() }}
+    {%- endif -%}
+  {%- endfor -%}
+  </tr>
+{% endfor %}
 
 </table>
 
diff --git a/buildbot/status/web/waterfall.py b/buildbot/status/web/waterfall.py
index 1e4ac1e9161..85a22586f40 100644
--- a/buildbot/status/web/waterfall.py
+++ b/buildbot/status/web/waterfall.py
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
 from buildbot.status import builder
 
 from buildbot.status.web.base import Box, HtmlResource, IBox, ICurrentBox, \
-     ITopBox, td, build_get_class, path_to_build, path_to_step, map_branches
+     ITopBox, build_get_class, path_to_build, path_to_step, map_branches
 
 
 
@@ -268,7 +268,7 @@ def content(self, request, cxt):
             times.insert(0, (current_reload_time, current_reload_time) )
 
         cxt['times'] = times
-        cxt['current_reload_time'] = current_reload_time        
+        cxt['current_reload_time'] = current_reload_time   
 
         template = request.site.buildbot_service.templates.get_template("waterfallhelp.html")
         return template.render(**cxt)
@@ -388,8 +388,8 @@ def content(self, request, ctx):
                        'status_class': current_box.class_,                       
                         })
 
-        ctx['waterfall'] = self.phase2(request, changeNames + builderNames, timestamps, eventGrid,
-                  sourceEvents)
+        ctx.update(self.phase2(request, changeNames + builderNames, timestamps, eventGrid,
+                  sourceEvents))
 
         def with_args(req, remove_args=[], new_args=[], new_path=None):
             # sigh, nevow makes this sort of manipulation easier
@@ -579,9 +579,10 @@ def get_event_from(g):
     
     def phase2(self, request, sourceNames, timestamps, eventGrid,
                sourceEvents):
-        data = ""
+
         if not timestamps:
-            return data
+            return dict(grid=[], gridlen=0)
+        
         # first pass: figure out the height of the chunks, populate grid
         grid = []
         for i in range(1+len(sourceNames)):
@@ -692,21 +693,12 @@ def phase2(self, request, sourceNames, timestamps, eventGrid,
                             strip[-i+1] = None
                         else:
                             strip[-i].parms['rowspan'] = 1
-        # third pass: render the HTML table
+
+        # convert to dicts
         for i in range(gridlen):
-            data += " <tr>\n";
             for strip in grid:
-                b = strip[i]
-                if b:
-                    # convert data to a unicode string, whacking any non-ASCII characters it might contain
-                    s = b.td()
-                    if isinstance(s, unicode):
-                        s = s.encode("utf-8", "replace")
-                    data += s
-                else:
-                    if noBubble:
-                        data += td([])
-                # Nones are left empty, rowspan should make it all fit
-            data += " </tr>\n"
-        return data
+                if strip[i]:
+                    strip[i] = strip[i].td()
+
+        return dict(grid=grid, gridlen=gridlen, no_bubble=noBubble)
 
diff --git a/buildbot/test/test_web.py b/buildbot/test/test_web.py
index 486d09b987c..fc9b8eb4d76 100644
--- a/buildbot/test/test_web.py
+++ b/buildbot/test/test_web.py
@@ -226,17 +226,17 @@ def test_waterfall(self):
         config1 = base_config + """
 from buildbot.changes import mail
 c['change_source'] = mail.SyncmailMaildirSource('my-maildir')
-c['status'] = [html.Waterfall(http_port=0, robots_txt=%s)]
-""" % repr(self.robots_txt)
+c['status'] = [html.WebStatus(http_port=0)]
+"""
 
         self.master = m = ConfiguredMaster("test_web4", config1)
         m.startService()
-        port = self.find_waterfall(m).getPortnum()
+        port = self.find_webstatus(m).getPortnum()
         self.port = port
         # insert an event
         m.change_svc.addChange(Change("user", ["foo.c"], "comments"))
 
-        d = client.getPage("http://localhost:%d/" % port)
+        d = client.getPage("http://localhost:%d/waterfall" % port)
 
         def _check1(page):
             self.failUnless(page)
@@ -245,8 +245,7 @@ def _check1(page):
             TZ = time.tzname[time.localtime()[-1]]
             self.failUnlessIn("(%s)" % TZ, page)
 
-            # phase=0 is really for debugging the waterfall layout
-            return client.getPage("http://localhost:%d/?phase=0" % self.port)
+            return client.getPage("http://localhost:%d/waterfall" % self.port)
         d.addCallback(_check1)
 
         def _check2(page):
@@ -260,15 +259,8 @@ def _check3(changes):
             self.failUnlessIn("<li>Syncmail mailing list in maildir " +
                               "my-maildir</li>", changes)
 
-            return client.getPage("http://localhost:%d/robots.txt" % self.port)
         d.addCallback(_check3)
 
-        def _check4(robotstxt):
-            # needed on win32
-            robotstxt = robotstxt.replace('\r\n', '\n')
-            self.failUnless(robotstxt == self.robots_txt_contents)
-        d.addCallback(_check4)
-
         return d
 
     test_waterfall.timeout = 10
@@ -298,11 +290,11 @@ def childLink(self, name):
                 return name
         req = FakeRequest()
         box = waterfall.IBox(s).getBox(req)
-        td = box.td()
+        text = "\n".join(box.td()['text'])
         e1 = '[<a href="http://coverage.example.org/target" class="BuildStep external">coverage</a>]'
-        self.failUnlessSubstring(e1, td)
+        self.failUnlessSubstring(e1, text)
         e2 = '[<a href="http://coverage.example.org/icon.png" class="BuildStep external">icon</a>]'
-        self.failUnlessSubstring(e2, td)
+        self.failUnlessSubstring(e2, text)