--- a/mobile/android/base/GeckoApp.java
+++ b/mobile/android/base/GeckoApp.java
@@ -665,16 +665,17 @@ abstract public class GeckoApp
             return;
         }
 
         tab.updateFavicon(null);
         tab.updateFaviconURL(null);
         tab.updateSecurityMode("unknown");
         tab.removeTransientDoorHangers();
         tab.setHasTouchListeners(false);
+        tab.setCheckerboardColor(Color.WHITE);
 
         maybeCancelFaviconLoad(tab);
 
         mMainHandler.post(new Runnable() {
             public void run() {
                 if (Tabs.getInstance().isSelectedTab(tab)) {
                     mBrowserToolbar.setTitle(uri);
                     mBrowserToolbar.setFavicon(null);
@@ -824,24 +825,30 @@ abstract public class GeckoApp
                 final String duration = message.getString("duration");
                 handleShowToast(msg, duration);
             } else if (event.equals("DOMContentLoaded")) {
                 final int tabId = message.getInt("tabID");
                 final String uri = message.getString("uri");
                 final String title = message.getString("title");
                 final String backgroundColor = message.getString("bgColor");
                 handleContentLoaded(tabId, uri, title);
-                if (getLayerController() != null) {
-                    if (backgroundColor != null) {
-                        getLayerController().setCheckerboardColor(backgroundColor);
-                    } else {
-                        // Default to white if no color is given
-                        getLayerController().setCheckerboardColor(Color.WHITE);
-                    }
+                Tab tab = Tabs.getInstance().getTab(tabId);
+                if (backgroundColor != null) {
+                    tab.setCheckerboardColor(backgroundColor);
+                } else {
+                    // Default to white if no color is given
+                    tab.setCheckerboardColor(Color.WHITE);
                 }
+
+                // Sync up the LayerController and the tab if the tab's
+                // currently displayed.
+                if (getLayerController() != null && Tabs.getInstance().isSelectedTab(tab)) {
+                    getLayerController().setCheckerboardColor(tab.getCheckerboardColor());
+                }
+
                 Log.i(LOGTAG, "URI - " + uri + ", title - " + title);
             } else if (event.equals("DOMTitleChanged")) {
                 final int tabId = message.getInt("tabID");
                 final String title = message.getString("title");
                 handleTitleChanged(tabId, title);
                 Log.i(LOGTAG, "title - " + title);
             } else if (event.equals("DOMLinkAdded")) {
                 final int tabId = message.getInt("tabID");

--- a/mobile/android/base/Tab.java
+++ b/mobile/android/base/Tab.java
@@ -35,16 +35,17 @@
  *
  * ***** END LICENSE BLOCK ***** */
 
 package org.mozilla.gecko;
 
 import android.content.ContentResolver;
 import android.database.ContentObserver;
 import android.graphics.Bitmap;
+import android.graphics.Color;
 import android.graphics.drawable.BitmapDrawable;
 import android.graphics.drawable.Drawable;
 import android.os.AsyncTask;
 import android.util.DisplayMetrics;
 import android.util.Log;
 import android.view.Surface;
 import android.view.View;
 
@@ -53,26 +54,29 @@ import org.json.JSONObject;
 import org.mozilla.gecko.db.BrowserDB;
 import org.mozilla.gecko.gfx.Layer;
 
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Collection;
 import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.HashSet;
 import java.util.List;
+import java.util.regex.Pattern;
+import java.util.regex.Matcher;
 
 public final class Tab {
     private static final String LOGTAG = "GeckoTab";
     private static final int kThumbnailWidth = 136;
     private static final int kThumbnailHeight = 78;
 
     private static float sMinDim = 0;
     private static float sDensity = 1;
     private static int sMinScreenshotWidth = 0;
     private static int sMinScreenshotHeight = 0;
+    private static Pattern sColorPattern;
     private int mId;
     private String mUrl;
     private String mTitle;
     private Drawable mFavicon;
     private String mFaviconUrl;
     private String mSecurityMode;
     private Drawable mThumbnail;
     private List<HistoryEntry> mHistory;
@@ -84,16 +88,17 @@ public final class Tab {
     private long mFaviconLoadId;
     private String mDocumentURI;
     private String mContentType;
     private boolean mHasTouchListeners;
     private ArrayList<View> mPluginViews;
     private HashMap<Surface, Layer> mPluginLayers;
     private ContentResolver mContentResolver;
     private ContentObserver mContentObserver;
+    private int mCheckerboardColor = Color.WHITE;
     private int mState;
 
     public static final int STATE_DELAYED = 0;
     public static final int STATE_LOADING = 1;
     public static final int STATE_SUCCESS = 2;
     public static final int STATE_ERROR = 3;
 
     public static final class HistoryEntry {
@@ -556,9 +561,41 @@ public final class Tab {
 
     public Collection<Layer> getPluginLayers() {
         return mPluginLayers.values();
     }
 
     public Layer removePluginLayer(Surface surface) {
         return mPluginLayers.remove(surface);
     }
+
+    public int getCheckerboardColor() {
+        return mCheckerboardColor;
+    }
+
+    /** Sets a new color for the checkerboard. */
+    public void setCheckerboardColor(int color) {
+        mCheckerboardColor = color;
+    }
+
+    /** Parses and sets a new color for the checkerboard. */
+    public void setCheckerboardColor(String newColor) {
+        setCheckerboardColor(parseColorFromGecko(newColor));
+    }
+
+    // Parses a color from an RGB triple of the form "rgb([0-9]+, [0-9]+, [0-9]+)". If the color
+    // cannot be parsed, returns white.
+    private static int parseColorFromGecko(String string) {
+        if (sColorPattern == null) {
+            sColorPattern = Pattern.compile("rgb\\((\\d+),\\s*(\\d+),\\s*(\\d+)\\)");
+        }
+
+        Matcher matcher = sColorPattern.matcher(string);
+        if (!matcher.matches()) {
+            return Color.WHITE;
+        }
+
+        int r = Integer.parseInt(matcher.group(1));
+        int g = Integer.parseInt(matcher.group(2));
+        int b = Integer.parseInt(matcher.group(3));
+        return Color.rgb(r, g, b);
+    }
 }

--- a/mobile/android/base/gfx/GeckoLayerClient.java
+++ b/mobile/android/base/gfx/GeckoLayerClient.java
@@ -53,16 +53,17 @@ import android.graphics.PointF;
 import android.graphics.Rect;
 import android.graphics.RectF;
 import android.os.SystemClock;
 import android.util.DisplayMetrics;
 import android.util.Log;
 import android.view.View;
 import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.HashMap;
+import org.mozilla.gecko.Tabs;
 
 public class GeckoLayerClient implements GeckoEventResponder,
                                          LayerView.Listener {
     private static final String LOGTAG = "GeckoLayerClient";
 
     private LayerController mLayerController;
     private LayerRenderer mLayerRenderer;
     private boolean mLayerRendererInitialized;
@@ -324,16 +325,17 @@ public class GeckoLayerClient implements
       */
     public void setFirstPaintViewport(float offsetX, float offsetY, float zoom, float pageWidth, float pageHeight, float cssPageWidth, float cssPageHeight) {
         synchronized (mLayerController) {
             ViewportMetrics currentMetrics = new ViewportMetrics(mLayerController.getViewportMetrics());
             currentMetrics.setOrigin(new PointF(offsetX, offsetY));
             currentMetrics.setZoomFactor(zoom);
             currentMetrics.setPageSize(new FloatSize(pageWidth, pageHeight), new FloatSize(cssPageWidth, cssPageHeight));
             mLayerController.setViewportMetrics(currentMetrics);
+            mLayerController.setCheckerboardColor(Tabs.getInstance().getSelectedTab().getCheckerboardColor());
             // At this point, we have just switched to displaying a different document than we
             // we previously displaying. This means we need to abort any panning/zooming animations
             // that are in progress and send an updated display port request to browser.js as soon
             // as possible. We accomplish this by passing true to abortPanZoomAnimation, which
             // sends the request after aborting the animation. The display port request is actually
             // a full viewport update, which is fine because if browser.js has somehow moved to
             // be out of sync with this first-paint viewport, then we force them back in sync.
             mLayerController.abortPanZoomAnimation();

--- a/mobile/android/base/gfx/LayerController.java
+++ b/mobile/android/base/gfx/LayerController.java
@@ -47,18 +47,16 @@ import android.content.res.Resources;
 import android.graphics.Bitmap;
 import android.graphics.BitmapFactory;
 import android.graphics.Color;
 import android.graphics.PointF;
 import android.graphics.RectF;
 import android.util.Log;
 import android.view.GestureDetector;
 import android.view.View.OnTouchListener;
-import java.util.regex.Matcher;
-import java.util.regex.Pattern;
 
 /**
  * The layer controller manages a tile that represents the visible page. It does panning and
  * zooming natively by delegating to a panning/zooming controller. Touch events can be dispatched
  * to a higher-level view.
  *
  * Many methods require that the monitor be held, with a synchronized (controller) { ... } block.
  */
@@ -91,18 +89,16 @@ public class LayerController {
     private GeckoLayerClient mLayerClient;          /* The layer client. */
 
     /* The new color for the checkerboard. */
     private int mCheckerboardColor = Color.WHITE;
     private boolean mCheckerboardShouldShowChecks;
 
     private boolean mForceRedraw;
 
-    private static Pattern sColorPattern;
-
     public LayerController(Context context) {
         mContext = context;
 
         mForceRedraw = true;
         mViewportMetrics = new ImmutableViewportMetrics(new ViewportMetrics());
         mPanZoomController = new PanZoomController(this);
         mView = new LayerView(context, this);
         mCheckerboardShouldShowChecks = true;
@@ -354,34 +350,9 @@ public class LayerController {
         mView.requestRender();
     }
 
     /** Sets a new color for the checkerboard. */
     public void setCheckerboardColor(int newColor) {
         mCheckerboardColor = newColor;
         mView.requestRender();
     }
-
-    /** Parses and sets a new color for the checkerboard. */
-    public void setCheckerboardColor(String newColor) {
-        setCheckerboardColor(parseColorFromGecko(newColor));
-    }
-
-    // Parses a color from an RGB triple of the form "rgb([0-9]+, [0-9]+, [0-9]+)". If the color
-    // cannot be parsed, returns white.
-    private static int parseColorFromGecko(String string) {
-        if (sColorPattern == null) {
-            sColorPattern = Pattern.compile("rgb\\((\\d+),\\s*(\\d+),\\s*(\\d+)\\)");
-        }
-
-        Matcher matcher = sColorPattern.matcher(string);
-        if (!matcher.matches()) {
-            return Color.WHITE;
-        }
-
-        int r = Integer.parseInt(matcher.group(1));
-        int g = Integer.parseInt(matcher.group(2));
-        int b = Integer.parseInt(matcher.group(3));
-        return Color.rgb(r, g, b);
-    } 
-
 }
-