diff --git a/samples/showcase/src/com/google/gwt/sample/showcase/client/content/cell/CwCustomDataGrid.java b/samples/showcase/src/com/google/gwt/sample/showcase/client/content/cell/CwCustomDataGrid.java
index 2386841..0b6daa4 100644
--- a/samples/showcase/src/com/google/gwt/sample/showcase/client/content/cell/CwCustomDataGrid.java
+++ b/samples/showcase/src/com/google/gwt/sample/showcase/client/content/cell/CwCustomDataGrid.java
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@
 import com.google.gwt.uibinder.client.UiBinder;
 import com.google.gwt.uibinder.client.UiField;
 import com.google.gwt.user.cellview.client.AbstractCellTable.Style;
-import com.google.gwt.user.cellview.client.CellTableBuilder;
+import com.google.gwt.user.cellview.client.AbstractCellTableBuilder;
 import com.google.gwt.user.cellview.client.Column;
 import com.google.gwt.user.cellview.client.ColumnSortEvent.ListHandler;
 import com.google.gwt.user.cellview.client.DataGrid;
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@
    * A custom version of {@link CellTableBuilder}.
    */
   @ShowcaseSource
-  private class CustomTableBuilder implements CellTableBuilder<ContactInfo> {
+  private class CustomTableBuilder extends AbstractCellTableBuilder<ContactInfo> {
 
     private final int todayMonth;
     private final Set<Integer> showingFriends = new HashSet<Integer>();
@@ -145,6 +145,7 @@
 
     @SuppressWarnings("deprecation")
     public CustomTableBuilder(ListHandler<ContactInfo> sortHandler) {
+      super(dataGrid);
       // Cache styles for faster access.
       Style style = dataGrid.getResources().style();
       rowStyle = style.evenRow();
@@ -343,14 +344,13 @@
 
     @SuppressWarnings("deprecation")
     @Override
-    public void buildRow(ContactInfo rowValue, int absRowIndex,
-        CellTableBuilder.Utility<ContactInfo> utility) {
-      buildContactRow(rowValue, absRowIndex, utility, false);
+    public void buildRowImpl(ContactInfo rowValue, int absRowIndex) {
+      buildContactRow(rowValue, absRowIndex, false);
 
       // Display information about the user in another row that spans the entire
       // table.
       if (rowValue.getAge() > 65) {
-        TableRowBuilder row = utility.startRow();
+        TableRowBuilder row = startRow();
         TableCellBuilder td = row.startTD().colSpan(7).className(cellStyle);
         td.style().trustedBackgroundColor("#ffa").outlineStyle(OutlineStyle.NONE).endStyle();
         td.text(rowValue.getFirstName() + " is elegible for retirement benefits").endTD();
@@ -361,7 +361,7 @@
       // table.
       Date dob = rowValue.getBirthday();
       if (dob.getMonth() == todayMonth) {
-        TableRowBuilder row = utility.startRow();
+        TableRowBuilder row = startRow();
         TableCellBuilder td = row.startTD().colSpan(7).className(cellStyle);
         td.style().trustedBackgroundColor("#ccf").endStyle();
         td.text(rowValue.getFirstName() + "'s birthday is this month!").endTD();
@@ -372,7 +372,7 @@
       if (showingFriends.contains(rowValue.getId())) {
         Set<ContactInfo> friends = ContactDatabase.get().queryFriends(rowValue);
         for (ContactInfo friend : friends) {
-          buildContactRow(friend, absRowIndex, utility, true);
+          buildContactRow(friend, absRowIndex, true);
         }
       }
     }
@@ -382,12 +382,10 @@
      * 
      * @param rowValue the contact info
      * @param absRowIndex the absolute row index
-     * @param utility the utility used to add rows and Cells
      * @param isFriend true if this is a subrow, false if a top level row
      */
     @SuppressWarnings("deprecation")
-    private void buildContactRow(ContactInfo rowValue, int absRowIndex,
-        CellTableBuilder.Utility<ContactInfo> utility, boolean isFriend) {
+    private void buildContactRow(ContactInfo rowValue, int absRowIndex, boolean isFriend) {
       // Calculate the row styles.
       SelectionModel<? super ContactInfo> selectionModel = dataGrid.getSelectionModel();
       boolean isSelected =
@@ -408,7 +406,7 @@
         cellStyles += childCell;
       }
 
-      TableRowBuilder row = utility.startRow();
+      TableRowBuilder row = startRow();
       row.className(trClasses.toString());
 
       /*
@@ -422,7 +420,7 @@
       td.className(cellStyles);
       td.style().outlineStyle(OutlineStyle.NONE).endStyle();
       if (!isFriend) {
-        utility.renderCell(td, utility.createContext(0), dataGrid.getColumn(0), rowValue);
+        renderCell(td, createContext(0), dataGrid.getColumn(0), rowValue);
       }
       td.endTD();
 
@@ -436,7 +434,7 @@
       td.className(cellStyles);
       if (!isFriend) {
         td.style().outlineStyle(OutlineStyle.NONE).endStyle();
-        utility.renderCell(td, utility.createContext(1), dataGrid.getColumn(1), rowValue);
+        renderCell(td, createContext(1), dataGrid.getColumn(1), rowValue);
       }
       td.endTD();
 
@@ -447,7 +445,7 @@
       if (isFriend) {
         td.text(rowValue.getFirstName());
       } else {
-        utility.renderCell(td, utility.createContext(2), dataGrid.getColumn(2), rowValue);
+        renderCell(td, createContext(2), dataGrid.getColumn(2), rowValue);
       }
       td.endTD();
 
@@ -458,7 +456,7 @@
       if (isFriend) {
         td.text(rowValue.getLastName());
       } else {
-        utility.renderCell(td, utility.createContext(3), dataGrid.getColumn(3), rowValue);
+        renderCell(td, createContext(3), dataGrid.getColumn(3), rowValue);
       }
       td.endTD();
 
@@ -475,7 +473,7 @@
       if (isFriend) {
         td.text(rowValue.getCategory().getDisplayName());
       } else {
-        utility.renderCell(td, utility.createContext(5), dataGrid.getColumn(5), rowValue);
+        renderCell(td, createContext(5), dataGrid.getColumn(5), rowValue);
       }
       td.endTD();
 
diff --git a/user/src/com/google/gwt/dom/builder/shared/HtmlOnlyTableSectionBuilder.java b/user/src/com/google/gwt/dom/builder/shared/HtmlOnlyTableSectionBuilder.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..abfabfc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/user/src/com/google/gwt/dom/builder/shared/HtmlOnlyTableSectionBuilder.java
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2011 Google Inc.
+ * 
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may not
+ * use this file except in compliance with the License. You may obtain a copy of
+ * the License at
+ * 
+ * http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ * 
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT
+ * WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the
+ * License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations under
+ * the License.
+ */
+package com.google.gwt.dom.builder.shared;
+
+import com.google.gwt.safehtml.shared.SafeHtml;
+
+/**
+ * A subclass of standard {@link HtmlTableSectionBuilder} that allows directly appending html to
+ * a table section.
+ * <p>
+ * Some browsers do not support setting innerHTML on a table section element (such
+ * as a tbody), so both the DOM and HTML based implementations throw an error to
+ * ensure consistency. This class exists to allow users to append HTML to a
+ * TableSectionBuilder if they opt into the HTML version.
+ * </p>
+ */
+public final class HtmlOnlyTableSectionBuilder extends HtmlTableSectionBuilder {
+
+  /**
+   * Create and return a table body section builder.
+   */
+  public static HtmlOnlyTableSectionBuilder createTBodyBuilder() {
+    HtmlBuilderImpl htmlBuilderImpl = new HtmlBuilderImpl();
+    htmlBuilderImpl.startTBody();
+    return new HtmlOnlyTableSectionBuilder(htmlBuilderImpl);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Create and return a table footer section builder.
+   */
+  public static HtmlOnlyTableSectionBuilder createTFootBuilder() {
+    HtmlBuilderImpl htmlBuilderImpl = new HtmlBuilderImpl();
+    htmlBuilderImpl.startTFoot();
+    return new HtmlOnlyTableSectionBuilder(htmlBuilderImpl);
+  }
+    
+  /**
+   * Create and return a table header section builder.
+   */
+  public static HtmlOnlyTableSectionBuilder createTHeadBuilder() {
+    HtmlBuilderImpl htmlBuilderImpl = new HtmlBuilderImpl();
+    htmlBuilderImpl.startTHead();
+    return new HtmlOnlyTableSectionBuilder(htmlBuilderImpl);
+  }
+      
+  private HtmlBuilderImpl delegate;
+  
+  /**
+   * Construct a new html table section builder.
+   * 
+   * @param delegate delegate the html based delegate that builds the element
+   */
+  private HtmlOnlyTableSectionBuilder(HtmlBuilderImpl delegate) {
+    super(delegate);
+    this.delegate = delegate;
+  }
+  
+  /**
+   * Append html to the builder and validate the correctness of the html.
+   * 
+   * @param html the html for the table section
+   */
+  @Override
+  public TableSectionBuilder html(SafeHtml html) {
+    delegate.html(html);
+    return getReturnBuilder();
+  }
+}
diff --git a/user/src/com/google/gwt/user/cellview/client/AbstractCellTable.java b/user/src/com/google/gwt/user/cellview/client/AbstractCellTable.java
index 0cd4dbc..2653ae2 100644
--- a/user/src/com/google/gwt/user/cellview/client/AbstractCellTable.java
+++ b/user/src/com/google/gwt/user/cellview/client/AbstractCellTable.java
@@ -25,11 +25,10 @@
 import com.google.gwt.core.client.GWT;
 import com.google.gwt.core.client.Scheduler;
 import com.google.gwt.dom.builder.shared.DivBuilder;
-import com.google.gwt.dom.builder.shared.ElementBuilderBase;
-import com.google.gwt.dom.builder.shared.HtmlBuilderFactory;
 import com.google.gwt.dom.builder.shared.HtmlTableSectionBuilder;
 import com.google.gwt.dom.builder.shared.TableCellBuilder;
 import com.google.gwt.dom.builder.shared.TableRowBuilder;
+import com.google.gwt.dom.builder.shared.TableSectionBuilder;
 import com.google.gwt.dom.client.Document;
 import com.google.gwt.dom.client.Element;
 import com.google.gwt.dom.client.EventTarget;
@@ -250,9 +249,7 @@
    * 
    * @param <T> the data type of the rows.
    */
-  public static class DefaultCellTableBuilder<T> implements CellTableBuilder<T> {
-
-    private AbstractCellTable<T> cellTable;
+  public static class DefaultCellTableBuilder<T> extends AbstractCellTableBuilder<T> {
 
     private final String evenRowStyle;
     private final String oddRowStyle;
@@ -265,8 +262,7 @@
     private final String selectedCellStyle;
 
     public DefaultCellTableBuilder(AbstractCellTable<T> cellTable) {
-      this.cellTable = cellTable;
-
+      super(cellTable);
       // Cache styles for faster access.
       Style style = cellTable.getResources().style();
       evenRowStyle = style.evenRow();
@@ -279,9 +275,9 @@
       lastColumnStyle = " " + style.lastColumn();
       selectedCellStyle = " " + style.selectedRowCell();
     }
-
+    
     @Override
-    public void buildRow(T rowValue, int absRowIndex, CellTableBuilder.Utility<T> utility) {
+    public void buildRowImpl(T rowValue, int absRowIndex) {
 
       // Calculate the row styles.
       SelectionModel<? super T> selectionModel = cellTable.getSelectionModel();
@@ -304,7 +300,7 @@
       }
 
       // Build the row.
-      TableRowBuilder tr = utility.startRow();
+      TableRowBuilder tr = startRow();
       tr.className(trClasses.toString());
 
       // Build the columns.
@@ -349,7 +345,7 @@
         div.style().outlineStyle(OutlineStyle.NONE).endStyle();
 
         // Render the cell into the div.
-        utility.renderCell(div, context, column, rowValue);
+        renderCell(div, context, column, rowValue);
 
         // End the cell.
         div.endDiv();
@@ -671,8 +667,8 @@
           count++;
         }
       } else {
-        while (insertBefore != null
-            && table.getRowValueIndex(insertBefore.<TableRowElement> cast()) < absEndIndex) {
+        while (insertBefore != null && table.tableBuilder.getRowValueIndex(
+            insertBefore.<TableRowElement> cast()) < absEndIndex) {
           Element next = insertBefore.getNextSiblingElement();
           section.removeChild(insertBefore);
           insertBefore = next;
@@ -816,119 +812,7 @@
   }
 
   /**
-   * Implementation for {@link CellTableBuilder.Utility}.
-   */
-  private class UtilityImpl extends CellTableBuilder.Utility<T> {
 
-    private int rowIndex;
-    private int subrowIndex;
-    private Object rowValueKey;
-    private final HtmlTableSectionBuilder tbody;
-
-    private UtilityImpl() {
-      /*
-       * TODO(jlabanca): Test with DomBuilder.
-       * 
-       * DOM manipulation is sometimes faster than String concatenation and
-       * innerHTML, but not when mixing the two. Cells render as HTML strings,
-       * so its faster to render the entire table as a string.
-       */
-      tbody = HtmlBuilderFactory.get().createTBodyBuilder();
-    }
-
-    @Override
-    public Context createContext(int column) {
-      return new Context(rowIndex, column, rowValueKey);
-    }
-
-    @Override
-    public <C> void renderCell(ElementBuilderBase<?> builder, Context context,
-        HasCell<T, C> column, T rowValue) {
-      // Generate a unique ID for the cell.
-      String cellId = cellToIdMap.get(column);
-      if (cellId == null) {
-        cellId = "cell-" + Document.get().createUniqueId();
-        idToCellMap.put(cellId, column);
-        cellToIdMap.put(column, cellId);
-      }
-      builder.attribute(CELL_ATTRIBUTE, cellId);
-
-      // Render the cell into the builder.
-      SafeHtmlBuilder cellBuilder = new SafeHtmlBuilder();
-      if (column instanceof Column) {
-        /*
-         * If the HasCell is a Column, let it render the Cell itself. This is
-         * here for legacy support.
-         */
-        Column<T, C> theColumn = (Column<T, C>) column;
-        theColumn.render(context, rowValue, cellBuilder);
-      } else {
-        column.getCell().render(context, column.getValue(rowValue), cellBuilder);
-      }
-      builder.html(cellBuilder.toSafeHtml());
-    }
-
-    @Override
-    public TableRowBuilder startRow() {
-      // End any dangling rows.
-      while (tbody.getDepth() > 1) {
-        tbody.end();
-      }
-
-      // Verify the depth.
-      if (tbody.getDepth() < 1) {
-        throw new IllegalStateException(
-            "Cannot start a row.  Did you call TableRowBuilder.end() too many times?");
-      }
-
-      // Start the next row.
-      TableRowBuilder row = tbody.startTR();
-      row.attribute(ROW_ATTRIBUTE, rowIndex);
-      row.attribute(SUBROW_ATTRIBUTE, subrowIndex);
-      subrowIndex++;
-      return row;
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * Get the {@link TableSectionElement} containing the children.
-     */
-    private SafeHtml asSafeHtml() {
-      // End dangling elements.
-      while (tbody.getDepth() > 0) {
-        tbody.endTBody();
-      }
-
-      // Strip the table section tags off of the tbody.
-      String rawHtml = tbody.asSafeHtml().asString();
-      assert rawHtml.startsWith("<tbody>") : "Malformed html";
-      assert rawHtml.endsWith("</tbody>") : "Malformed html";
-      rawHtml = rawHtml.substring(7, rawHtml.length() - 8);
-      return SafeHtmlUtils.fromTrustedString(rawHtml);
-    }
-
-    private void setRowInfo(int rowIndex, T rowValue) {
-      this.rowIndex = rowIndex;
-      this.rowValueKey = getValueKey(rowValue);
-      this.subrowIndex = 0; // Reset the subrow.
-    }
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * The attribute used to indicate that an element contains a cell.
-   */
-  private static final String CELL_ATTRIBUTE = "__gwt_cell";
-
-  /**
-   * The attribute used to specify the logical row index.
-   */
-  private static final String ROW_ATTRIBUTE = "__gwt_row";
-
-  /**
-   * The attribute used to specify the subrow within a logical row value.
-   */
-  private static final String SUBROW_ATTRIBUTE = "__gwt_subrow";
-
-  /**
    * The table specific {@link Impl}.
    */
   private static Impl TABLE_IMPL;
@@ -943,12 +827,6 @@
     return consumedEvents != null && consumedEvents.size() > 0;
   }
 
-  /**
-   * A mapping of unique cell IDs to the cell.
-   */
-  private final Map<String, HasCell<T, ?>> idToCellMap = new HashMap<String, HasCell<T, ?>>();
-  private final Map<HasCell<T, ?>, String> cellToIdMap = new HashMap<HasCell<T, ?>, String>();
-
   private boolean cellIsEditing;
   private final List<Column<T, ?>> columns = new ArrayList<Column<T, ?>>();
   private final Map<Column<T, ?>, String> columnWidths = new HashMap<Column<T, ?>, String>();
@@ -1172,7 +1050,7 @@
   public void flush() {
     getPresenter().flush();
   }
-
+  
   /**
    * Get the column at the specified index.
    * 
@@ -1790,7 +1668,6 @@
     TableSectionElement targetTableSection = null;
     TableCellElement targetTableCell = null;
     Element cellParent = null;
-    String cellId = null;
     {
       Element maybeTableCell = null;
       Element cur = target;
@@ -1819,9 +1696,8 @@
         }
 
         // Look for the most immediate cell parent if not already found.
-        String curCellId = isCellParent(cur);
-        if (cellParent == null && curCellId != null) {
-          cellId = curCellId;
+        boolean isColumn = tableBuilder.isColumn(cur);
+        if (cellParent == null && isColumn) {
           cellParent = cur;
         }
 
@@ -1883,9 +1759,9 @@
        * Get the row index of the data value. This may not correspond to the DOM
        * row index if the user specifies multiple table rows per row object.
        */
-      int absRow = getRowValueIndex(targetTableRow);
+      int absRow = tableBuilder.getRowValueIndex(targetTableRow);
       int relRow = absRow - getPageStart();
-      int subrow = getSubrowValueIndex(targetTableRow);
+      int subrow = tableBuilder.getSubrowValueIndex(targetTableRow);
       if ("mouseover".equals(eventType)) {
         // Unstyle the old row if it is still part of the table.
         if (hoveringRow != null && getTableBodyElement().isOrHasChild(hoveringRow)) {
@@ -1920,11 +1796,15 @@
 
       // Pass the event to the cell.
       if (cellParent != null && !previewEvent.isCanceled()) {
-        HasCell<T, ?> column = idToCellMap.get(cellId);
+        HasCell<T, ?> column;
         if (legacyRenderRowValues) {
           column = columns.get(col);
+        } else {
+          column = tableBuilder.getColumn(context, value, cellParent);
         }
-        fireEventToCell(event, eventType, cellParent, value, context, column);
+        if (column != null) {
+          fireEventToCell(event, eventType, cellParent, value, context, column);
+        }
       }
     }
   }
@@ -2082,9 +1962,7 @@
      * but still supported.
      */
     if (html == null) {
-      cellToIdMap.clear();
-      idToCellMap.clear();
-      html = buildRowValues(values, getPageStart());
+      html = buildRowValues(values, getPageStart(), true);
     }
 
     TABLE_IMPL.replaceAllRows(this, getTableBodyElement(), CellBasedWidgetImpl.get().processHtml(
@@ -2102,7 +1980,7 @@
      * but still supported.
      */
     if (html == null) {
-      html = buildRowValues(values, getPageStart() + start);
+      html = buildRowValues(values, getPageStart() + start, false);
     }
 
     TABLE_IMPL.replaceChildren(this, getTableBodyElement(), CellBasedWidgetImpl.get().processHtml(
@@ -2117,17 +1995,19 @@
       return false;
     }
 
-    String cellId = isCellParent(elem);
-    if (cellId == null) {
+    int row = getKeyboardSelectedRow();
+    int col = getKeyboardSelectedColumn();
+    T value = getVisibleItem(row);
+    Object key = getValueKey(value);
+    // TODO(pengzhuang): this doesn't support sub row selection?
+    Context context = new Context(row + getPageStart(), col, key);
+    HasCell<T, ?> column = tableBuilder.getColumn(context, value, elem);
+    if (column == null) {
       // The selected element does not contain a Cell.
       return false;
     }
 
-    HasCell<T, ?> column = idToCellMap.get(cellId);
-    if (column != null) {
-      resetFocusOnCellImpl(getKeyboardSelectedRow(), getKeyboardSelectedColumn(), column, elem);
-    }
-
+    resetFocusOnCellImpl(context, value, column, elem);
     return false;
   }
 
@@ -2212,10 +2092,10 @@
     int domIndex = Math.min(relRow, frameEnd);
     while (domIndex >= frameStart && domIndex <= frameEnd) {
       TableRowElement curRow = rows.getItem(domIndex);
-      int rowValueIndex = getRowValueIndex(curRow);
+      int rowValueIndex = tableBuilder.getRowValueIndex(curRow);
       if (rowValueIndex == absRow) {
         // Found a subrow in the row index.
-        int subrowValueIndex = getSubrowValueIndex(curRow);
+        int subrowValueIndex = tableBuilder.getSubrowValueIndex(curRow);
         if (subrow != subrowValueIndex) {
           // Shift to the correct subrow.
           int offset = subrow - subrowValueIndex;
@@ -2225,7 +2105,7 @@
             return null;
           }
           curRow = rows.getItem(subrowIndex);
-          if (getRowValueIndex(curRow) != absRow) {
+          if (tableBuilder.getRowValueIndex(curRow) != absRow) {
             // The "subrow" is actually part of the next row.
             return null;
           }
@@ -2252,22 +2132,31 @@
    * 
    * @param values the row values to render
    * @param start the absolute start index
+   * @param isRebuildingAllRows is this going to rebuild all rows
    * @return a {@link SafeHtml} string containing the row values
    */
-  private SafeHtml buildRowValues(List<T> values, int start) {
-    UtilityImpl utility = new UtilityImpl();
+  private SafeHtml buildRowValues(List<T> values, int start, boolean isRebuildingAllRows) {
     int length = values.size();
     int end = start + length;
+    tableBuilder.start(isRebuildingAllRows);
     for (int i = start; i < end; i++) {
       T value = values.get(i - start);
-      utility.setRowInfo(i, value);
-      tableBuilder.buildRow(value, i, utility);
+      tableBuilder.buildRow(value, i);
     }
 
     // Update the properties of the table.
     coalesceCellProperties();
-
-    return utility.asSafeHtml();
+    TableSectionBuilder tableSectionBuilder = tableBuilder.finish();
+    if (tableSectionBuilder instanceof HtmlTableSectionBuilder) {
+      // Strip the table section tags off of the tbody.
+      String rawHtml = ((HtmlTableSectionBuilder) tableSectionBuilder).asSafeHtml().asString();
+      assert rawHtml.startsWith("<tbody>") : "Malformed html";
+      assert rawHtml.endsWith("</tbody>") : "Malformed html";
+      rawHtml = rawHtml.substring(7, rawHtml.length() - 8);
+      return SafeHtmlUtils.fromTrustedString(rawHtml);
+    } else {
+      throw new IllegalStateException("Only HTML table section builder is supported at this time");
+    }
   }
 
   /**
@@ -2290,7 +2179,7 @@
     dependsOnSelection = false;
     handlesSelection = false;
     isInteractive = false;
-    for (HasCell<T, ?> column : idToCellMap.values()) {
+    for (HasCell<T, ?> column : tableBuilder.getColumns()) {
       Cell<?> cell = column.getCell();
       if (cell.dependsOnSelection()) {
         dependsOnSelection = true;
@@ -2495,7 +2384,7 @@
      * (including the tabIndex that we set) could be modified by its Cell. We
      * return the TD to be safe.
      */
-    if (isCellParent(td) != null) {
+    if (tableBuilder.isColumn(td)) {
       return td;
     }
 
@@ -2540,23 +2429,7 @@
     }
     return null;
   }
-
-  /**
-   * Get the index of the row value from the associated {@link TableRowElement}.
-   * 
-   * @param row the row element
-   * @return the row value index
-   */
-  private int getRowValueIndex(TableRowElement row) {
-    try {
-      return Integer.parseInt(row.getAttribute(ROW_ATTRIBUTE));
-    } catch (NumberFormatException e) {
-      // The attribute doesn't exist. Maybe the user is overriding
-      // renderRowValues().
-      return row.getSectionRowIndex() + getPageStart();
-    }
-  }
-
+  
   /**
    * Get the {@link IconCellDecorator} used to decorate sorted column headers.
    * 
@@ -2580,24 +2453,6 @@
   }
 
   /**
-   * Get the index of the subrow value from the associated
-   * {@link TableRowElement}. The sub row value starts at 0 for the first row
-   * that represents a row value.
-   * 
-   * @param row the row element
-   * @return the subrow value index, or 0 if not found
-   */
-  private int getSubrowValueIndex(TableRowElement row) {
-    try {
-      return Integer.parseInt(row.getAttribute(SUBROW_ATTRIBUTE));
-    } catch (NumberFormatException e) {
-      // The attribute doesn't exist. Maybe the user is overriding
-      // renderRowValues().
-      return 0;
-    }
-  }
-
-  /**
    * Initialize the widget.
    */
   private void init() {
@@ -2622,20 +2477,6 @@
   }
 
   /**
-   * Check if an element is the parent of a rendered cell.
-   * 
-   * @param elem the element to check
-   * @return the cellId if a cell parent, null if not
-   */
-  private String isCellParent(Element elem) {
-    if (elem == null) {
-      return null;
-    }
-    String cellId = elem.getAttribute(CELL_ATTRIBUTE);
-    return (cellId == null) || (cellId.length() == 0) ? null : cellId;
-  }
-
-  /**
    * Mark the column widths as dirty and redraw the table.
    */
   private void refreshColumnsAndRedraw() {
@@ -2664,13 +2505,10 @@
     }
   }
 
-  private <C> boolean resetFocusOnCellImpl(int row, int col, HasCell<T, C> column,
+  private <C> boolean resetFocusOnCellImpl(Context context, T value, HasCell<T, C> column,
       Element cellParent) {
-    T value = getVisibleItem(row);
-    Object key = getValueKey(value);
     C cellValue = column.getValue(value);
     Cell<C> cell = column.getCell();
-    Context context = new Context(row + getPageStart(), col, key);
     return cell.resetFocus(context, cellParent, cellValue);
   }
 
@@ -2707,3 +2545,4 @@
     }
   }
 }
+
diff --git a/user/src/com/google/gwt/user/cellview/client/AbstractCellTableBuilder.java b/user/src/com/google/gwt/user/cellview/client/AbstractCellTableBuilder.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0e4fde0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/user/src/com/google/gwt/user/cellview/client/AbstractCellTableBuilder.java
@@ -0,0 +1,305 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2011 Google Inc.
+ * 
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may not
+ * use this file except in compliance with the License. You may obtain a copy of
+ * the License at
+ * 
+ * http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ * 
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT
+ * WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the
+ * License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations under
+ * the License.
+ */
+package com.google.gwt.user.cellview.client;
+
+import com.google.gwt.cell.client.Cell.Context;
+import com.google.gwt.cell.client.HasCell;
+import com.google.gwt.dom.builder.shared.ElementBuilderBase;
+import com.google.gwt.dom.builder.shared.HtmlBuilderFactory;
+import com.google.gwt.dom.builder.shared.HtmlTableSectionBuilder;
+import com.google.gwt.dom.builder.shared.TableRowBuilder;
+import com.google.gwt.dom.builder.shared.TableSectionBuilder;
+import com.google.gwt.dom.client.Document;
+import com.google.gwt.dom.client.Element;
+import com.google.gwt.dom.client.TableRowElement;
+import com.google.gwt.safehtml.shared.SafeHtmlBuilder;
+
+import java.util.Collection;
+import java.util.HashMap;
+import java.util.Map;
+
+/**
+ * Builder used to construct a CellTable.
+ * 
+ * @param <T> the row data type
+ */
+public abstract class AbstractCellTableBuilder<T> implements CellTableBuilder<T> {
+  
+  /**
+   * The attribute used to indicate that an element contains a cell.
+   */
+  private static final String CELL_ATTRIBUTE = "__gwt_cell";
+  
+  /**
+   * The attribute used to specify the logical row index.
+   */
+  private static final String ROW_ATTRIBUTE = "__gwt_row";
+
+  /**
+   * The attribute used to specify the subrow within a logical row value.
+   */
+  private static final String SUBROW_ATTRIBUTE = "__gwt_subrow";
+  
+  protected final AbstractCellTable<T> cellTable;
+  
+  /**
+   * A mapping of unique cell IDs to the cell.
+   */
+  private final Map<String, HasCell<T, ?>> idToCellMap = new HashMap<String, HasCell<T, ?>>();
+  private final Map<HasCell<T, ?>, String> cellToIdMap = new HashMap<HasCell<T, ?>, String>();
+
+  private HtmlTableSectionBuilder tbody;  
+  private int rowIndex;
+  private int subrowIndex;
+  private Object rowValueKey;
+
+  /**
+   * Construct a new table builder.
+   * 
+   * @param cellTable the table this builder will build rows for
+   */
+  public AbstractCellTableBuilder(AbstractCellTable<T> cellTable) {
+    this.cellTable = cellTable;
+  }
+  
+  /**
+   * Build zero or more table rows for the specified row value.
+   *
+   * @param rowValue the value for the row to render
+   * @param absRowIndex the absolute row index
+   */
+  @Override
+  public final void buildRow(T rowValue, int absRowIndex) {
+    setRowInfo(absRowIndex, rowValue);
+    buildRowImpl(rowValue, absRowIndex);
+  }
+  
+  /**
+   * Create the context for a column based on the current table building state.
+   * 
+   * @param column the column id
+   * @return the context that contains the column index, row/subrow indexes, and the row value key
+   */
+  public final Context createContext(int column) {
+    return new Context(rowIndex, column, rowValueKey, subrowIndex);
+  }
+  
+  /**
+   * Finish the building and get the {@link TableSectionBuilder} containing the children.
+   */
+  @Override
+  public final TableSectionBuilder finish() {
+    // End dangling elements.
+    while (tbody.getDepth() > 0) {
+      tbody.endTBody();
+    }
+    return tbody;
+  }
+  
+  /**
+   * Return the column containing an element.
+   *
+   * @param context the context for the element
+   * @param rowValue the value for the row corresponding to the element
+   * @param elem the element that the column contains
+   * @return the immediate column containing the element
+   */
+  @Override
+  public final HasCell<T, ?> getColumn(Context context, T rowValue, Element elem) {
+    return getColumn(elem);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Return all the columns that this table builder has renderred.
+   */
+  @Override
+  public final Collection<HasCell<T, ?>> getColumns() {
+    return idToCellMap.values();
+  }
+  
+  /**
+   * Get the index of the row value from the associated {@link TableRowElement}.
+   * 
+   * @param row the row element
+   * @return the row value index
+   */
+  @Override
+  public final int getRowValueIndex(TableRowElement row) {
+    try {
+      return Integer.parseInt(row.getAttribute(ROW_ATTRIBUTE));
+    } catch (NumberFormatException e) {
+      // The attribute doesn't exist. Maybe the user is overriding
+      // renderRowValues().
+      return row.getSectionRowIndex() + cellTable.getPageStart();
+    }
+  }
+  
+  /**
+   * Get the index of the subrow value from the associated
+   * {@link TableRowElement}. The sub row value starts at 0 for the first row
+   * that represents a row value.
+   * 
+   * @param row the row element
+   * @return the subrow value index, or 0 if not found
+   */
+  @Override
+  public final int getSubrowValueIndex(TableRowElement row) {
+    try {
+      return Integer.parseInt(row.getAttribute(SUBROW_ATTRIBUTE));
+    } catch (NumberFormatException e) {
+      // The attribute doesn't exist. Maybe the user is overriding
+      // renderRowValues() in {@link AbstractCellTable}.
+      return 0;
+    }
+  }
+  
+  /**
+   * Return if an element contains a cell. This may be faster to execute than {@link getColumn}.
+   *
+   * @param elem the element of interest
+   */
+  @Override
+  public final boolean isColumn(Element elem) {
+    return getCellId(elem) != null;
+  }
+  
+  /**
+   * Render the cell into an {@link ElementBuilderBase}.
+   * 
+   * @param builder the {@link ElementBuilderBase} that cell contents append to
+   * @param context the context for the element
+   * @param column the column containing the cell
+   * @param rowValue the value for the row corresponding to the element
+   */
+  public final <C> void renderCell(ElementBuilderBase<?> builder, Context context,
+      HasCell<T, C> column, T rowValue) {
+    // Generate a unique ID for the cell.
+    String cellId = cellToIdMap.get(column);
+    if (cellId == null) {
+      cellId = "cell-" + Document.get().createUniqueId();
+      idToCellMap.put(cellId, column);
+      cellToIdMap.put(column, cellId);
+    }
+    builder.attribute(CELL_ATTRIBUTE, cellId);
+
+    // Render the cell into the builder.
+    SafeHtmlBuilder cellBuilder = new SafeHtmlBuilder();
+    if (column instanceof Column) {
+      /*
+       * If the HasCell is a Column, let it render the Cell itself. This is
+       * here for legacy support.
+       */
+      Column<T, C> theColumn = (Column<T, C>) column;
+      theColumn.render(context, rowValue, cellBuilder);
+    } else {
+      column.getCell().render(context, column.getValue(rowValue), cellBuilder);
+    }
+    builder.html(cellBuilder.toSafeHtml());
+  }
+  
+  /**
+   * 
+   */
+  /**
+   * Start building rows. Reset the internal table section builder. If the table builder is going
+   * to re-build all rows, the internal the maps associating the cells and ids will be cleared.
+   *
+   * @param isRebuildingAllRows is this start intended for rebuilding all rows
+   */
+  @Override
+  public final void start(boolean isRebuildingAllRows) {
+    /*
+     * TODO(jlabanca): Test with DomBuilder.
+     * 
+     * DOM manipulation is sometimes faster than String concatenation and
+     * innerHTML, but not when mixing the two. Cells render as HTML strings,
+     * so its faster to render the entire table as a string.
+     */
+    tbody = HtmlBuilderFactory.get().createTBodyBuilder();
+    if (isRebuildingAllRows) {
+      cellToIdMap.clear();
+      idToCellMap.clear();
+    }
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Start a row and return the {@link TableRowBuilder} for this row.
+   */
+  public final TableRowBuilder startRow() {
+    // End any dangling rows.
+    while (tbody.getDepth() > 1) {
+      tbody.end();
+    }
+
+    // Verify the depth.
+    if (tbody.getDepth() < 1) {
+      throw new IllegalStateException(
+          "Cannot start a row.  Did you call TableRowBuilder.end() too many times?");
+    }
+
+    // Start the next row.
+    TableRowBuilder row = tbody.startTR();
+    row.attribute(ROW_ATTRIBUTE, rowIndex);
+    row.attribute(SUBROW_ATTRIBUTE, subrowIndex);
+    subrowIndex++;
+    return row;
+  }
+    
+  /**
+   * Build zero or more table rows for the specified row value.
+   * 
+   * @param rowValue the value for the row to render
+   * @param absRowIndex the absolute row index
+   */
+  protected abstract void buildRowImpl(T rowValue, int absRowIndex);
+  
+  /**
+   * Check if an element is the parent of a rendered cell.
+   * 
+   * @param elem the element to check
+   * @return the cellId if a cell parent, null if not
+   */
+  private String getCellId(Element elem) {
+    if (elem == null) {
+      return null;
+    }
+    String cellId = elem.getAttribute(CELL_ATTRIBUTE);
+    return (cellId == null) || (cellId.length() == 0) ? null : cellId;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Return the column containing an element.
+   *
+   * @param elem the elm that the column contains
+   * @return the column containing the element.
+   */
+  private HasCell<T, ?> getColumn(Element elem) {
+    String cellId = getCellId(elem);
+    return (cellId == null) ? null : idToCellMap.get(cellId);
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Set the information for the current row to build.
+   *
+   * @param rowIndex the index of the row
+   * @param rowValue the value of this row
+   */
+  private void setRowInfo(int rowIndex, T rowValue) {
+    this.rowIndex = rowIndex;
+    this.rowValueKey = cellTable.getValueKey(rowValue);
+    this.subrowIndex = 0; // Reset the subrow.
+  }
+}
diff --git a/user/src/com/google/gwt/user/cellview/client/CellTableBuilder.java b/user/src/com/google/gwt/user/cellview/client/CellTableBuilder.java
index 4ba4b1d..2b82062 100644
--- a/user/src/com/google/gwt/user/cellview/client/CellTableBuilder.java
+++ b/user/src/com/google/gwt/user/cellview/client/CellTableBuilder.java
@@ -17,8 +17,11 @@
 
 import com.google.gwt.cell.client.Cell.Context;
 import com.google.gwt.cell.client.HasCell;
-import com.google.gwt.dom.builder.shared.ElementBuilderBase;
-import com.google.gwt.dom.builder.shared.TableRowBuilder;
+import com.google.gwt.dom.builder.shared.TableSectionBuilder;
+import com.google.gwt.dom.client.Element;
+import com.google.gwt.dom.client.TableRowElement;
+
+import java.util.Collection;
 
 /**
  * Builder used to construct a CellTable.
@@ -28,63 +31,66 @@
 public interface CellTableBuilder<T> {
 
   /**
-   * Utility to help build a table.
-   * 
-   * @param <T> the row data type
-   */
-  abstract static class Utility<T> {
-
-    /**
-     * Only instantiable by CellTable implementation.
-     */
-    Utility() {
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * Create a {@link Context} object for the specific column index that can be
-     * passed to a Cell.
-     * 
-     * @param column the column index of the context
-     * @return a {@link Context} object
-     */
-    public abstract Context createContext(int column);
-
-    /**
-     * Render a Cell into the specified {@link ElementBuilderBase}. Use this
-     * method to ensure that the Cell Widget properly handles events originating
-     * in the Cell.
-     * 
-     * <p>
-     * The {@link ElementBuilderBase} must be in a state where attributes and
-     * html can be appended. If the builder already contains a child element,
-     * this method will fail.
-     * </p>
-     * 
-     * @param <C> the data type of the cell
-     * @param builder the {@link ElementBuilderBase} to render into
-     * @param context the {@link Context} of the cell
-     * @param column the column or {@link HasCell} to render
-     * @param rowValue the row value to render
-     * @see #createContext(int)
-     */
-    public abstract <C> void renderCell(ElementBuilderBase<?> builder, Context context,
-        HasCell<T, C> column, T rowValue);
-
-    /**
-     * Add a row to the table.
-     * 
-     * @return the row to add
-     */
-    public abstract TableRowBuilder startRow();
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * Build zero or more table rows for the specified row value using the
-   * {@link Utility}.
-   * 
+   * Build zero or more table rows for the specified row value.
+   *
    * @param rowValue the value for the row to render
    * @param absRowIndex the absolute row index
-   * @param utility the utility used to build the table
    */
-  void buildRow(T rowValue, int absRowIndex, Utility<T> utility);
+  void buildRow(T rowValue, int absRowIndex);
+  
+  /**
+   * Finish the building of rows and return the table section builder. Currently only
+   * {@link HtmlTableSectionBuilder} and its subclasses are supported.
+   */
+  TableSectionBuilder finish();
+  
+  /**
+   * Return the column containing an element.
+   *
+   * @param context the context for the element
+   * @param rowValue the value for the row corresponding to the element
+   * @param elm the elm that the column contains
+   * @return the immediate column containing the element
+   */
+  HasCell<T, ?> getColumn(Context context, T rowValue, Element elem);
+
+  /**
+   * Return all the columns that this table builder has renderred.
+   */
+  Collection<HasCell<T, ?>> getColumns();
+  
+  /**
+   * Get the index of the primary row from the associated {@link TableRowElement} (an TR element).
+   * 
+   * @param row the row element
+   * @return the row value index
+   */
+  int getRowValueIndex(TableRowElement row);
+  
+  /**
+   * Get the index of the subrow value from the associated
+   * {@link TableRowElement} (an TR element). The sub row value starts at 0 for the first row
+   * that represents a row value.
+   * 
+   * @param row the row element
+   * @return the subrow value index, or 0 if not found
+   */
+  int getSubrowValueIndex(TableRowElement row);
+  
+  /**
+   * Return if an element contains a cell. This may be faster to execute than {@link getColumn}.
+   *
+   * @param elem the element of interest
+   */
+  boolean isColumn(Element elem);
+  
+  /**
+   * Start building rows. User may want to reset the internal state of the table builder (e.g., 
+   * reset the internal table section builder). A flag isRebuildingAllRows is used to mark whether
+   * the builder is going to rebuild all rows. User may want to have different reset logic given
+   * this flag.
+   *
+   * @param isRebuildingAllRows is this start intended for rebuilding all rows
+   */
+  void start(boolean isRebuildingAllRows);
 }
diff --git a/user/test/com/google/gwt/user/cellview/client/AbstractCellTableTestBase.java b/user/test/com/google/gwt/user/cellview/client/AbstractCellTableTestBase.java
index 487f431..f828f2e 100644
--- a/user/test/com/google/gwt/user/cellview/client/AbstractCellTableTestBase.java
+++ b/user/test/com/google/gwt/user/cellview/client/AbstractCellTableTestBase.java
@@ -110,16 +110,15 @@
     CellTableBuilder<String> builder =
         new AbstractCellTable.DefaultCellTableBuilder<String>(table) {
           @Override
-          public void buildRow(String rowValue, int absRowIndex,
-              CellTableBuilder.Utility<String> utility) {
+          public void buildRowImpl(String rowValue, int absRowIndex) {
             builtRows.add(absRowIndex);
-            TableRowBuilder tr = utility.startRow();
+            TableRowBuilder tr = startRow();
             tr.endTR(); // End the tr.
             tr.end(); // Accidentally end the table section.
 
             // Try to start another row.
             try {
-              utility.startRow();
+              startRow();
               fail("Expected IllegalStateException: tbody is already ended");
             } catch (IllegalStateException e) {
               // Expected.
@@ -143,14 +142,13 @@
     CellTableBuilder<String> builder =
         new AbstractCellTable.DefaultCellTableBuilder<String>(table) {
           @Override
-          public void buildRow(String rowValue, int absRowIndex,
-              CellTableBuilder.Utility<String> utility) {
-            super.buildRow(rowValue, absRowIndex, utility);
+          public void buildRowImpl(String rowValue, int absRowIndex) {
+            super.buildRowImpl(rowValue, absRowIndex);
 
             // Add child rows to row five.
             if (absRowIndex == 5) {
               for (int i = 0; i < 4; i++) {
-                TableRowBuilder tr = utility.startRow();
+                TableRowBuilder tr = startRow();
                 tr.startTD().colSpan(2).text("child " + i).endTD();
                 tr.endTR();
               }
@@ -188,11 +186,10 @@
     CellTableBuilder<String> builder =
         new AbstractCellTable.DefaultCellTableBuilder<String>(table) {
           @Override
-          public void buildRow(String rowValue, int absRowIndex,
-              CellTableBuilder.Utility<String> utility) {
+          public void buildRowImpl(String rowValue, int absRowIndex) {
             // Skip row index 5.
             if (absRowIndex != 5) {
-              super.buildRow(rowValue, absRowIndex, utility);
+              super.buildRowImpl(rowValue, absRowIndex);
             }
           }
         };
@@ -655,13 +652,12 @@
     CellTableBuilder<String> builder =
         new AbstractCellTable.DefaultCellTableBuilder<String>(table) {
           @Override
-          public void buildRow(String rowValue, int absRowIndex,
-              CellTableBuilder.Utility<String> utility) {
-            super.buildRow(rowValue, absRowIndex, utility);
+          public void buildRowImpl(String rowValue, int absRowIndex) {
+            super.buildRowImpl(rowValue, absRowIndex);
 
             // Add some children.
             for (int i = 0; i < 4; i++) {
-              TableRowBuilder tr = utility.startRow();
+              TableRowBuilder tr = startRow();
               tr.startTD().colSpan(2).text("child " + absRowIndex + ":" + i).endTD();
               tr.endTR();
             }