diff --git a/tests/unit/selectmenu/core.js b/tests/unit/selectmenu/core.js
index 5431d689d..021f9b28a 100644
--- a/tests/unit/selectmenu/core.js
+++ b/tests/unit/selectmenu/core.js
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ define( [
 module( "selectmenu: core" );
 
 test( "markup structure", function( assert ) {
-	expect( 4 );
+	expect( 5 );
 
 	var element = $( "#files" ).selectmenu(),
 		button = element.selectmenu( "widget" ),
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ test( "markup structure", function( assert ) {
 	assert.hasClasses( button,
 		"ui-selectmenu-button ui-selectmenu-button-closed ui-widget" );
 	assert.lacksClasses( button, "ui-selectmenu-button-open" );
+	assert.lacksClasses( button, "ui-selectmenu-open" );
 	assert.hasClasses( menuWrap, "ui-selectmenu-menu" );
 	assert.lacksClasses( menuWrap, "ui-selectmenu-menu-open" );
 } );
@@ -89,7 +90,7 @@ test( "_renderButtonItem()", function() {
 	element.selectmenu( "refresh" );
 	option = element.find( "option:selected" );
 	equal(
-		option.text() + element[ 0 ].selectedIndex,
+		" " + option.text() + element[ 0 ].selectedIndex,
 		button.text(),
 		"refresh: button item text"
 	);
@@ -98,7 +99,7 @@ test( "_renderButtonItem()", function() {
 	menu.find( "li" ).last().simulate( "mouseover" ).trigger( "click" );
 	option = element.find( "option" ).last();
 	equal(
-		option.text() + element[ 0 ].selectedIndex,
+		" " + option.text() + element[ 0 ].selectedIndex,
 		button.text(),
 		"click: button item text"
 	);
@@ -146,7 +147,7 @@ $.each( [
 				selected.val(),
 				"original select state"
 			);
-			equal( button.text(), selected.text(), "button text" );
+			equal( button.text(), " " + selected.text(), "button text" );
 			start();
 		} );
 	} );
@@ -181,7 +182,7 @@ $.each( [
 				selected.val(),
 				"original select state"
 			);
-			equal( button.text(), selected.text(), "button text" );
+			equal( button.text(), " " + selected.text(), "button text" );
 			start();
 		}, 1 );
 	} );
@@ -222,7 +223,7 @@ $.each( [
 					"button aria-activedescendant" );
 				equal( element.find( "option:selected" ).val(), options.eq( 1 ).val(),
 					"original select state" );
-				equal( button.text(), options.eq( 1 ).text(), "button text" );
+				equal( button.text(), " " + options.eq( 1 ).text(), "button text" );
 				start();
 			} );
 		} );
diff --git a/tests/unit/selectmenu/methods.js b/tests/unit/selectmenu/methods.js
index e49da50f5..7007abe83 100644
--- a/tests/unit/selectmenu/methods.js
+++ b/tests/unit/selectmenu/methods.js
@@ -81,21 +81,21 @@ asyncTest( "refresh - change selected option", function() {
 	var element = $( "#speed" ).selectmenu(),
 		button = element.selectmenu( "widget" );
 
-	equal( element.find( "option:selected" ).text(), button.text(), "button text after init" );
+	equal( button.text(), " Medium", "button text after init" );
 
 	button.simulate( "focus" );
+
 	setTimeout( function() {
-		equal( element.find( "option:selected" ).text(), button.text(), "button text after focus" );
+		equal( button.text(), " Medium", "button text after focus" );
 
 		element[ 0 ].selectedIndex = 0;
 		element.selectmenu( "refresh" );
-		equal( element.find( "option:selected" ).text(), button.text(),
-			"button text after changing selected option" );
+		equal( button.text(), " Slower", "button text after changing selected option" );
 
 		element.find( "option" ).prop( "selected", false );
 		element.append( "<option selected value=\"selected_option\">Selected option</option>" );
 		element.selectmenu( "refresh" );
-		equal( "Selected option", button.text(), "button text after adding selected option" );
+		equal( button.text(), " Selected option", "button text after adding selected option" );
 
 		start();
 	} );
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ test( "widget and menuWidget", function( assert ) {
 		menu = element.selectmenu( "menuWidget" );
 
 	equal( button.length, 1, "button: one element" );
-	assert.hasClasses( button, "ui-selectmenu-button" );
+	assert.hasClasses( button, "ui-button" );
 
 	equal( menu.length, 1, "Menu Widget: one element" );
 	ok( menu.is( "ul.ui-menu" ), "Menu Widget: element and class" );
diff --git a/tests/unit/selectmenu/selectmenu.html b/tests/unit/selectmenu/selectmenu.html
index 16e0f15a7..14a6c8087 100644
--- a/tests/unit/selectmenu/selectmenu.html
+++ b/tests/unit/selectmenu/selectmenu.html
@@ -3,10 +3,10 @@
 <head>
 	<meta charset="utf-8">
 	<title>jQuery UI Selectmenu Test Suite</title>
-
 	<script src="../../../external/requirejs/require.js"></script>
-	<script src="../../lib/css.js" data-modules="core menu selectmenu"></script>
+	<script src="../../lib/css.js" data-modules="core menu selectmenu button"></script>
 	<script src="../../lib/bootstrap.js" data-widget="selectmenu"></script>
+
 </head>
 <body>
 
diff --git a/themes/base/selectmenu.css b/themes/base/selectmenu.css
index 178d7037f..3449c19b5 100644
--- a/themes/base/selectmenu.css
+++ b/themes/base/selectmenu.css
@@ -33,27 +33,10 @@
 .ui-selectmenu-open {
 	display: block;
 }
-.ui-selectmenu-button {
-	display: inline-block;
-	overflow: hidden;
-	position: relative;
-	text-decoration: none;
-	cursor: pointer;
-	width: 14em;
-}
-.ui-selectmenu-button span.ui-icon {
-	right: 0.5em;
-	left: auto;
-	margin-top: -8px;
-	position: absolute;
-	top: 50%;
-}
-.ui-selectmenu-button span.ui-selectmenu-text {
+.ui-selectmenu-button.ui-button {
 	text-align: left;
-	padding: 0.4em 2.1em 0.4em 1em;
-	display: block;
-	line-height: 1.4;
 	overflow: hidden;
 	text-overflow: ellipsis;
 	white-space: nowrap;
+	width: 14em;
 }
diff --git a/ui/widgets/selectmenu.js b/ui/widgets/selectmenu.js
index 30d8c71af..e57354f2e 100644
--- a/ui/widgets/selectmenu.js
+++ b/ui/widgets/selectmenu.js
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
 //>>docs: http://api.jqueryui.com/selectmenu/
 //>>demos: http://jqueryui.com/selectmenu/
 //>>css.structure: ../themes/base/core.css
-//>>css.structure: ../themes/base/selectmenu.css
+//>>css.structure: ../themes/base/selectmenu.css, ../themes/base/button.css
 //>>css.theme: ../themes/base/theme.css
 
 ( function( factory ) {
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ return $.widget( "ui.selectmenu", {
 	},
 
 	_drawButton: function() {
-		var icon,
+		var icon, space,
 			that = this,
 			item = this._parseOption(
 				this.element.find( "option:selected" ),
@@ -115,10 +115,13 @@ return $.widget( "ui.selectmenu", {
 			.insertAfter( this.element );
 
 		this._addClass( this.button, "ui-selectmenu-button ui-selectmenu-button-closed",
-			"ui-widget ui-state-default" );
+			"ui-button ui-widget" );
 
 		icon = $( "<span>" ).prependTo( this.button );
+		space = $( "<span> </span>" );
+		this._addClass( space, "ui-selectmenu-icon-space" );
 		this._addClass( icon, null, "ui-icon " + this.options.icons.button );
+		icon.after( space );
 
 		this.buttonItem = this._renderButtonItem( item )
 			.appendTo( this.button );
@@ -136,8 +139,6 @@ return $.widget( "ui.selectmenu", {
 				that._refreshMenu();
 			}
 		} );
-		this._hoverable( this.button );
-		this._focusable( this.button );
 	},
 
 	_drawMenu: function() {
@@ -606,7 +607,7 @@ return $.widget( "ui.selectmenu", {
 		// we always remove classes first and add them second, otherwise if both classes have the
 		// same theme class, it will be removed after we add it.
 		this._removeClass( this.button, "ui-selectmenu-button-" +
-				( this.isOpen ? "closed" : "open" ) )
+			( this.isOpen ? "closed" : "open" ) )
 			._addClass( this.button, "ui-selectmenu-button-" +
 				( this.isOpen ? "open" : "closed" ) )
 			._toggleClass( this.menuWrap, "ui-selectmenu-open", null, this.isOpen );