diff --git a/testsuite/integration/clustering/src/test/java/org/jboss/as/test/clustering/NodeUtil.java b/testsuite/integration/clustering/src/test/java/org/jboss/as/test/clustering/NodeUtil.java
index 9e27d827c3d7..abf8f0d66be2 100644
--- a/testsuite/integration/clustering/src/test/java/org/jboss/as/test/clustering/NodeUtil.java
+++ b/testsuite/integration/clustering/src/test/java/org/jboss/as/test/clustering/NodeUtil.java
@@ -38,73 +38,74 @@ public final class NodeUtil {
 
     public static void deploy(Deployer deployer, String... deployments) {
         for (String deployment : deployments) {
-            log.trace("Deploying deployment=" + deployment);
-            deployer.deploy(deployment);
+            deploy(deployer, deployment);
         }
     }
 
+    public static void deploy(Deployer deployer, String deployment) {
+        log.tracef("Deploying %s", deployment);
+        deployer.deploy(deployment);
+        log.tracef("Deployed %s", deployment);
+    }
+
     public static void undeploy(Deployer deployer, String... deployments) {
         for (String deployment : deployments) {
-            log.trace("Undeploying deployment=" + deployment);
-            deployer.undeploy(deployment);
+            undeploy(deployer, deployment);
         }
     }
 
-    public static void start(ContainerController controller, Deployer deployer, String container, String deployment) {
-        try {
-            log.trace("Starting deployment=" + deployment + ", container=" + container);
-            controller.start(container);
-            deployer.deploy(deployment);
-            log.trace("Started deployment=" + deployment + ", container=" + container);
-        } catch (Throwable e) {
-            log.error("Failed to start container(s)", e);
-        }
+    public static void undeploy(Deployer deployer, String deployment) {
+        log.tracef("Undeploying %s", deployment);
+        deployer.undeploy(deployment);
+        log.tracef("Undeployed %s", deployment);
     }
 
     public static void start(ContainerController controller, String... containers) {
         // TODO do this in parallel.
         for (String container : containers) {
-            try {
-                log.trace("Starting deployment=NONE, container=" + container);
-                controller.start(container);
-            } catch (Throwable e) {
-                log.error("Failed to start containers", e);
-            }
+            start(controller, container);
+        }
+    }
+
+    public static void start(ContainerController controller, String container) {
+        if (!controller.isStarted(container)) {
+            log.tracef("Starting container %s", container);
+            controller.start(container);
+            log.tracef("Started container %s", container);
+        } else {
+            log.tracef("Container %s was already started", container);
         }
     }
 
     public static void stop(ContainerController controller, String... containers) {
         for (String container : containers) {
-            try {
-                log.trace("Stopping container=" + container);
-                controller.stop(container);
-                log.trace("Stopped container=" + container);
-            } catch (Throwable e) {
-                log.error("Failed to stop containers", e);
-            }
+            stop(controller, container);
+        }
+    }
+
+    public static void stop(ContainerController controller, String container) {
+        if (controller.isStarted(container)) {
+            log.tracef("Stopping container %s", container);
+            controller.stop(container);
+            log.tracef("Stopped container %s", container);
+        } else {
+            log.tracef("Container %s was already stopped", container);
         }
     }
 
-    public static void stop(int timeout, WildFlyContainerController controller, String... containers) {
+    public static void stop(WildFlyContainerController controller, int timeout, String... containers) {
         for (String container : containers) {
-            try {
-                log.trace("Stopping container=" + container + ", timeout=" + timeout);
-                controller.stop(container, timeout);
-                log.trace("Stopped container=" + container + ", timeout=" + timeout);
-            } catch (Throwable e) {
-                log.error("Failed to stop containers", e);
-            }
+            stop(controller, timeout, container);
         }
     }
 
-    public static void stop(ContainerController controller, Deployer deployer, String container, String deployment) {
-        try {
-            log.trace("Stopping deployment=" + deployment + ", container=" + container);
-            deployer.undeploy(deployment);
-            controller.stop(container);
-            log.trace("Stopped deployment=" + deployment + ", container=" + container);
-        } catch (Throwable e) {
-            log.error("Failed to stop containers", e);
+    public static void stop(WildFlyContainerController controller, int timeout, String container) {
+        if (controller.isStarted(container)) {
+            log.tracef("Stopping container %s", container);
+            controller.stop(container, timeout);
+            log.tracef("Stopped container %s", container);
+        } else {
+            log.tracef("Container %s was already stopped", container);
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/testsuite/integration/clustering/src/test/java/org/jboss/as/test/clustering/arquillian/StopCustomContainersOnAfterSuiteExtension.java b/testsuite/integration/clustering/src/test/java/org/jboss/as/test/clustering/arquillian/StopCustomContainersOnAfterSuiteExtension.java
index 0c17df2f3fb4..a4ba7c079111 100644
--- a/testsuite/integration/clustering/src/test/java/org/jboss/as/test/clustering/arquillian/StopCustomContainersOnAfterSuiteExtension.java
+++ b/testsuite/integration/clustering/src/test/java/org/jboss/as/test/clustering/arquillian/StopCustomContainersOnAfterSuiteExtension.java
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 import org.jboss.arquillian.container.spi.Container;
 import org.jboss.arquillian.container.spi.Container.State;
 import org.jboss.arquillian.container.spi.ContainerRegistry;
+import org.jboss.arquillian.container.spi.client.container.LifecycleException;
 import org.jboss.arquillian.core.api.annotation.Observes;
 import org.jboss.arquillian.core.spi.LoadableExtension;
 import org.jboss.arquillian.test.spi.event.suite.AfterSuite;
@@ -38,7 +39,7 @@
  */
 public class StopCustomContainersOnAfterSuiteExtension implements LoadableExtension {
 
-    private static final Logger log = Logger.getLogger(StopCustomContainersOnAfterSuiteExtension.class);
+    static final Logger log = Logger.getLogger(StopCustomContainersOnAfterSuiteExtension.class);
 
     @Override
     public void register(ExtensionBuilder builder) {
@@ -50,10 +51,11 @@ public void close(@Observes AfterSuite event, ContainerRegistry registry) {
             for (Container c: registry.getContainers()) {
                 if (c.getState() == State.STARTED && "custom".equalsIgnoreCase(c.getContainerConfiguration().getMode())) {
                     try {
+                        log.tracef("Stopping custom container %s", c.getName());
                         c.stop();
-                        log.trace("Stopped custom container: " + c.getName());
-                    } catch (Exception e) {
-                        log.error("Failed to stop custom container: " + c.getName(), e);
+                        log.tracef("Stopped custom container %s", c.getName());
+                    } catch (LifecycleException e) {
+                        log.errorf("Failed to stop custom container %s", c.getName(), e);
                     }
                 }
             }
diff --git a/testsuite/integration/clustering/src/test/java/org/jboss/as/test/clustering/cluster/ClusterAbstractTestCase.java b/testsuite/integration/clustering/src/test/java/org/jboss/as/test/clustering/cluster/ClusterAbstractTestCase.java
index 13709baad063..1e72fd1204b4 100644
--- a/testsuite/integration/clustering/src/test/java/org/jboss/as/test/clustering/cluster/ClusterAbstractTestCase.java
+++ b/testsuite/integration/clustering/src/test/java/org/jboss/as/test/clustering/cluster/ClusterAbstractTestCase.java
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ protected void stop(String... containers) {
     }
 
     protected void stop(int timeout, String... containers) {
-        NodeUtil.stop(timeout, this.controller, containers);
+        NodeUtil.stop(this.controller, timeout, containers);
     }
 
     protected void deploy(String... deployments) {