diff --git a/demos/dialog/animated.html b/demos/dialog/animated.html
index 8e1daf131f3..061396548fb 100644
--- a/demos/dialog/animated.html
+++ b/demos/dialog/animated.html
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 	<script src="../../ui/jquery.ui.draggable.js"></script>
 	<script src="../../ui/jquery.ui.position.js"></script>
 	<script src="../../ui/jquery.ui.resizable.js"></script>
+	<script src="../../ui/jquery.ui.button.js"></script>
 	<script src="../../ui/jquery.ui.dialog.js"></script>
 	<script src="../../ui/jquery.ui.effect.js"></script>
 	<script src="../../ui/jquery.ui.effect-blind.js"></script>
diff --git a/demos/dialog/default.html b/demos/dialog/default.html
index 214f41d0d0e..777921e4877 100644
--- a/demos/dialog/default.html
+++ b/demos/dialog/default.html
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 	<script src="../../ui/jquery.ui.draggable.js"></script>
 	<script src="../../ui/jquery.ui.position.js"></script>
 	<script src="../../ui/jquery.ui.resizable.js"></script>
+	<script src="../../ui/jquery.ui.button.js"></script>
 	<script src="../../ui/jquery.ui.dialog.js"></script>
 	<link rel="stylesheet" href="../demos.css">
 	<script>
diff --git a/demos/dialog/modal-confirmation.html b/demos/dialog/modal-confirmation.html
index e73c9ea2bd3..04f5d93fb48 100644
--- a/demos/dialog/modal-confirmation.html
+++ b/demos/dialog/modal-confirmation.html
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 	<script src="../../ui/jquery.ui.button.js"></script>
 	<script src="../../ui/jquery.ui.draggable.js"></script>
 	<script src="../../ui/jquery.ui.position.js"></script>
+	<script src="../../ui/jquery.ui.button.js"></script>
 	<script src="../../ui/jquery.ui.dialog.js"></script>
 	<link rel="stylesheet" href="../demos.css">
 	<script>
diff --git a/demos/dialog/modal-form.html b/demos/dialog/modal-form.html
index a779494a482..b1d4e52cc2a 100644
--- a/demos/dialog/modal-form.html
+++ b/demos/dialog/modal-form.html
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 	<script src="../../ui/jquery.ui.draggable.js"></script>
 	<script src="../../ui/jquery.ui.position.js"></script>
 	<script src="../../ui/jquery.ui.resizable.js"></script>
+	<script src="../../ui/jquery.ui.button.js"></script>
 	<script src="../../ui/jquery.ui.dialog.js"></script>
 	<script src="../../ui/jquery.ui.effect.js"></script>
 	<link rel="stylesheet" href="../demos.css">
@@ -86,10 +87,10 @@
 
 					if ( bValid ) {
 						$( "#users tbody" ).append( "<tr>" +
-							"<td>" + name.val() + "</td>" + 
-							"<td>" + email.val() + "</td>" + 
+							"<td>" + name.val() + "</td>" +
+							"<td>" + email.val() + "</td>" +
 							"<td>" + password.val() + "</td>" +
-						"</tr>" ); 
+						"</tr>" );
 						$( this ).dialog( "close" );
 					}
 				},
diff --git a/demos/dialog/modal-message.html b/demos/dialog/modal-message.html
index 60b7c3e1516..19fc0e829bc 100644
--- a/demos/dialog/modal-message.html
+++ b/demos/dialog/modal-message.html
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 	<script src="../../ui/jquery.ui.draggable.js"></script>
 	<script src="../../ui/jquery.ui.position.js"></script>
 	<script src="../../ui/jquery.ui.resizable.js"></script>
+	<script src="../../ui/jquery.ui.button.js"></script>
 	<script src="../../ui/jquery.ui.dialog.js"></script>
 	<link rel="stylesheet" href="../demos.css">
 	<script>
diff --git a/demos/dialog/modal.html b/demos/dialog/modal.html
index 886a3516c2e..a59358d5326 100644
--- a/demos/dialog/modal.html
+++ b/demos/dialog/modal.html
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 	<script src="../../ui/jquery.ui.draggable.js"></script>
 	<script src="../../ui/jquery.ui.position.js"></script>
 	<script src="../../ui/jquery.ui.resizable.js"></script>
+	<script src="../../ui/jquery.ui.button.js"></script>
 	<script src="../../ui/jquery.ui.dialog.js"></script>
 	<link rel="stylesheet" href="../demos.css">
 	<script>
diff --git a/tests/unit/dialog/dialog.html b/tests/unit/dialog/dialog.html
index cb74bb654c9..0022b42cf16 100644
--- a/tests/unit/dialog/dialog.html
+++ b/tests/unit/dialog/dialog.html
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 			"ui/jquery.ui.mouse.js",
 			"ui/jquery.ui.draggable.js",
 			"ui/jquery.ui.resizable.js",
+			"ui/jquery.ui.button.js",
 			"ui/jquery.ui.dialog.js"
 		]
 	});
diff --git a/tests/unit/dialog/dialog_options.js b/tests/unit/dialog/dialog_options.js
index 899dc1df670..2df7196dc84 100644
--- a/tests/unit/dialog/dialog_options.js
+++ b/tests/unit/dialog/dialog_options.js
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ test("buttons", function() {
 		},
 		el = $('<div></div>').dialog({ buttons: buttons });
 
-	btn = $("button", el.dialog('widget'));
+	btn = el.dialog( "widget" ).find( ".ui-dialog-buttonpane button" );
 	equal(btn.length, 2, "number of buttons");
 
 	i = 0;
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ test("buttons", function() {
 	el.dialog("option", "buttons", newButtons);
 	deepEqual(el.dialog("option", "buttons"), newButtons, '.dialog("option", "buttons", ...) setter');
 
-	btn = $("button", el.dialog('widget'));
+	btn = el.dialog( "widget" ).find( ".ui-dialog-buttonpane button" );
 	equal(btn.length, 1, "number of buttons after setter");
 	btn.trigger('click');
 
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ test("buttons", function() {
 	});
 
 	el.dialog("option", "buttons", null);
-	btn = $("button", el.dialog('widget'));
+	btn = el.dialog( "widget" ).find( ".ui-dialog-buttonpane button" );
 	equal(btn.length, 0, "all buttons have been removed");
 	equal(el.find(".ui-dialog-buttonset").length, 0, "buttonset has been removed");
 	equal(el.parent().hasClass('ui-dialog-buttons'), false, "dialog wrapper removes class about having buttons");
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ test("buttons - advanced", function() {
 			]
 		});
 
-	buttons = el.dialog('widget').find("button");
+	buttons = el.dialog( "widget" ).find( ".ui-dialog-buttonpane button" );
 	equal(buttons.length, 1, "correct number of buttons");
 	equal(buttons.attr("id"), "my-button-id", "correct id");
 	equal(buttons.text(), "a button", "correct label");
diff --git a/tests/visual/dialog/animated.html b/tests/visual/dialog/animated.html
index d1f5acb104e..07097fbfa9d 100644
--- a/tests/visual/dialog/animated.html
+++ b/tests/visual/dialog/animated.html
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 	<script src="../../../ui/jquery.ui.draggable.js"></script>
 	<script src="../../../ui/jquery.ui.position.js"></script>
 	<script src="../../../ui/jquery.ui.resizable.js"></script>
+	<script src="../../../ui/jquery.ui.button.js"></script>
 	<script src="../../../ui/jquery.ui.dialog.js"></script>
 	<script src="../../../ui/jquery.ui.effect.js"></script>
 	<script src="../../../ui/jquery.ui.effect-blind.js"></script>
diff --git a/tests/visual/dialog/complex-dialogs.html b/tests/visual/dialog/complex-dialogs.html
index 6399d8a4b0e..2b9a0d3a6b8 100644
--- a/tests/visual/dialog/complex-dialogs.html
+++ b/tests/visual/dialog/complex-dialogs.html
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 	<script src="../../../ui/jquery.ui.draggable.js"></script>
 	<script src="../../../ui/jquery.ui.position.js"></script>
 	<script src="../../../ui/jquery.ui.resizable.js"></script>
+	<script src="../../../ui/jquery.ui.button.js"></script>
 	<script src="../../../ui/jquery.ui.dialog.js"></script>
 
 	<!-- stuff needed to make things complex -->
diff --git a/tests/visual/dialog/form.html b/tests/visual/dialog/form.html
index 867991911ae..ed70ec69ba7 100644
--- a/tests/visual/dialog/form.html
+++ b/tests/visual/dialog/form.html
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 	<script src="../../../ui/jquery.ui.draggable.js"></script>
 	<script src="../../../ui/jquery.ui.position.js"></script>
 	<script src="../../../ui/jquery.ui.resizable.js"></script>
+	<script src="../../../ui/jquery.ui.button.js"></script>
 	<script src="../../../ui/jquery.ui.dialog.js"></script>
 	<script src="../../../ui/jquery.ui.effect.js"></script>
 	<script src="../../../ui/jquery.ui.effect-blind.js"></script>
diff --git a/tests/visual/dialog/performance.html b/tests/visual/dialog/performance.html
index 937b9464f0e..8f63d6a69d8 100644
--- a/tests/visual/dialog/performance.html
+++ b/tests/visual/dialog/performance.html
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 	<script src="../../../ui/jquery.ui.mouse.js"></script>
 	<script src="../../../ui/jquery.ui.draggable.js"></script>
 	<script src="../../../ui/jquery.ui.resizable.js"></script>
+	<script src="../../../ui/jquery.ui.button.js"></script>
 	<script src="../../../ui/jquery.ui.dialog.js"></script>
 	<script>
 	$(function() {
diff --git a/themes/base/jquery.ui.dialog.css b/themes/base/jquery.ui.dialog.css
index f1b25c10470..d278d9649c6 100644
--- a/themes/base/jquery.ui.dialog.css
+++ b/themes/base/jquery.ui.dialog.css
@@ -29,18 +29,10 @@
 	position: absolute;
 	right: .3em;
 	top: 50%;
-	width: 19px;
+	width: 21px;
 	margin: -10px 0 0 0;
 	padding: 1px;
-	height: 18px;
-}
-.ui-dialog .ui-dialog-titlebar-close span {
-	display: block;
-	margin: 1px;
-}
-.ui-dialog .ui-dialog-titlebar-close:hover,
-.ui-dialog .ui-dialog-titlebar-close:focus {
-	padding: 0;
+	height: 20px;
 }
 .ui-dialog .ui-dialog-content {
 	position: relative;
diff --git a/ui/jquery.ui.dialog.js b/ui/jquery.ui.dialog.js
index b860a8b1880..055040b32a6 100644
--- a/ui/jquery.ui.dialog.js
+++ b/ui/jquery.ui.dialog.js
@@ -99,7 +99,6 @@ $.widget("ui.dialog", {
 			uiDialog,
 			// TODO should use this.uiDialogTitlebar instead
 			uiDialogTitlebar,
-			uiDialogTitlebarClose,
 			uiDialogTitle,
 			uiDialogButtonPane;
 
@@ -139,20 +138,21 @@ $.widget("ui.dialog", {
 				})
 				.prependTo( uiDialog );
 
-			uiDialogTitlebarClose = $( "<a href='#'></a>" )
-				.addClass( "ui-dialog-titlebar-close  ui-corner-all" )
-				.attr( "role", "button" )
+			this.uiDialogTitlebarClose = $( "<button></button>" )
+				.button({
+					label: options.closeText,
+					icons: {
+						primary: "ui-icon-closethick"
+					},
+					text: false
+				})
+				.addClass( "ui-dialog-titlebar-close" )
 				.click(function( event ) {
 					event.preventDefault();
 					that.close( event );
 				})
 				.appendTo( uiDialogTitlebar );
 
-			( this.uiDialogTitlebarCloseText = $( "<span>" ) )
-				.addClass( "ui-icon ui-icon-closethick" )
-				.text( options.closeText )
-				.appendTo( uiDialogTitlebarClose );
-
 			uiDialogTitle = $( "<span>" )
 				.uniqueId()
 				.addClass( "ui-dialog-title" )
@@ -183,10 +183,6 @@ $.widget("ui.dialog", {
 			});
 		}
 
-		// TODO use button? or at least a button element, so that SPACE works?
-		this._hoverable( uiDialogTitlebarClose );
-		this._focusable( uiDialogTitlebarClose );
-
 		if ( options.draggable && $.fn.draggable ) {
 			this._makeDraggable();
 		}
@@ -575,7 +571,9 @@ $.widget("ui.dialog", {
 				break;
 			case "closeText":
 				// ensure that we always pass a string
-				this.uiDialogTitlebarCloseText.text( "" + value );
+				this.uiDialogTitlebarClose.button({
+					label: "" + value
+				});
 				break;
 			case "dialogClass":
 				uiDialog