diff --git a/src/compile/nodes/Element.ts b/src/compile/nodes/Element.ts
index 34203d5c63..423134db07 100644
--- a/src/compile/nodes/Element.ts
+++ b/src/compile/nodes/Element.ts
@@ -300,13 +300,6 @@ export default class Element extends Node {
 			block.builders.destroy.addConditional('detach', `@detachNode(${name});`);
 		}
 
-		// TODO move this into a class as well?
-		if (this._cssRefAttribute) {
-			block.builders.hydrate.addLine(
-				`@setAttribute(${name}, "svelte-ref-${this._cssRefAttribute}", "");`
-			)
-		}
-
 		// insert static children with textContent or innerHTML
 		if (!this.namespace && this.canUseInnerHTML && this.children.length > 0) {
 			if (this.children.length === 1 && this.children[0].type === 'Text') {
@@ -394,10 +387,6 @@ export default class Element extends Node {
 
 			let open = `<${node.name}`;
 
-			if (node._cssRefAttribute) {
-				open += ` svelte-ref-${node._cssRefAttribute}`;
-			}
-
 			node.attributes.forEach((attr: Node) => {
 				open += ` ${fixAttributeCasing(attr.name)}${stringifyAttributeValue(attr.chunks)}`
 			});
@@ -858,19 +847,17 @@ export default class Element extends Node {
 		return `@appendNode(${this.var}, ${name}._slotted.default);`;
 	}
 
-	addCssClass() {
+	addCssClass(className = this.compiler.stylesheet.id) {
 		const classAttribute = this.attributes.find(a => a.name === 'class');
 		if (classAttribute && !classAttribute.isTrue) {
 			if (classAttribute.chunks.length === 1 && classAttribute.chunks[0].type === 'Text') {
-				(<Text>classAttribute.chunks[0]).data += ` ${this.compiler.stylesheet.id}`;
+				(<Text>classAttribute.chunks[0]).data += ` ${className}`;
 			} else {
 				(<Node[]>classAttribute.chunks).push(
 					new Text(this.compiler, this, this.scope, {
 						type: 'Text',
-						data: ` ${this.compiler.stylesheet.id}`
+						data: ` ${className}`
 					})
-
-					// new Text({ type: 'Text', data: ` ${this.compiler.stylesheet.id}` })
 				);
 			}
 		} else {
@@ -878,7 +865,7 @@ export default class Element extends Node {
 				new Attribute(this.compiler, this, this.scope, {
 					type: 'Attribute',
 					name: 'class',
-					value: [{ type: 'Text', data: `${this.compiler.stylesheet.id}` }]
+					value: [{ type: 'Text', data: className }]
 				})
 			);
 		}
@@ -945,10 +932,6 @@ export default class Element extends Node {
 			});
 		}
 
-		if (this._cssRefAttribute) {
-			openingTag += ` svelte-ref-${this._cssRefAttribute}`;
-		}
-
 		openingTag += '>';
 
 		compiler.target.append(openingTag);
diff --git a/src/css/Selector.ts b/src/css/Selector.ts
index 71e127edb3..8abb4353cd 100644
--- a/src/css/Selector.ts
+++ b/src/css/Selector.ts
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ export default class Selector {
 
 	apply(node: Node, stack: Node[]) {
 		const toEncapsulate: Node[] = [];
-		applySelector(this.localBlocks.slice(), node, stack.slice(), toEncapsulate);
+		applySelector(this.stylesheet, this.localBlocks.slice(), node, stack.slice(), toEncapsulate);
 
 		if (toEncapsulate.length > 0) {
 			toEncapsulate.filter((_, i) => i === 0 || i === toEncapsulate.length - 1).forEach(({ node, block }) => {
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ export default class Selector {
 				const selector = block.selectors[i];
 
 				if (selector.type === 'RefSelector') {
-					code.overwrite(selector.start, selector.end, `[svelte-ref-${selector.name}]`, {
+					code.overwrite(selector.start, selector.end, `.svelte-ref-${selector.name}`, {
 						contentOnly: true,
 						storeName: false
 					});
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ function isDescendantSelector(selector: Node) {
 	return selector.type === 'WhiteSpace' || selector.type === 'Combinator';
 }
 
-function applySelector(blocks: Block[], node: Node, stack: Node[], toEncapsulate: any[]): boolean {
+function applySelector(stylesheet: Stylesheet, blocks: Block[], node: Node, stack: Node[], toEncapsulate: any[]): boolean {
 	const block = blocks.pop();
 	if (!block) return false;
 
@@ -179,7 +179,7 @@ function applySelector(blocks: Block[], node: Node, stack: Node[], toEncapsulate
 
 		else if (selector.type === 'RefSelector') {
 			if (node.ref === selector.name) {
-				node._cssRefAttribute = selector.name;
+				stylesheet.nodesWithRefCssClass.set(selector.name, node);
 				toEncapsulate.push({ node, block });
 				return true;
 			}
@@ -196,7 +196,7 @@ function applySelector(blocks: Block[], node: Node, stack: Node[], toEncapsulate
 	if (block.combinator) {
 		if (block.combinator.type === 'WhiteSpace') {
 			while (stack.length) {
-				if (applySelector(blocks.slice(), stack.pop(), stack, toEncapsulate)) {
+				if (applySelector(stylesheet, blocks.slice(), stack.pop(), stack, toEncapsulate)) {
 					toEncapsulate.push({ node, block });
 					return true;
 				}
@@ -204,7 +204,7 @@ function applySelector(blocks: Block[], node: Node, stack: Node[], toEncapsulate
 
 			return false;
 		} else if (block.combinator.name === '>') {
-			if (applySelector(blocks, stack.pop(), stack, toEncapsulate)) {
+			if (applySelector(stylesheet, blocks, stack.pop(), stack, toEncapsulate)) {
 				toEncapsulate.push({ node, block });
 				return true;
 			}
diff --git a/src/css/Stylesheet.ts b/src/css/Stylesheet.ts
index 586599021b..70f19fd48b 100644
--- a/src/css/Stylesheet.ts
+++ b/src/css/Stylesheet.ts
@@ -247,6 +247,7 @@ export default class Stylesheet {
 	keyframes: Map<string, string>;
 
 	nodesWithCssClass: Set<Node>;
+	nodesWithRefCssClass: Map<String, Node>;
 
 	constructor(source: string, ast: Ast, filename: string, dev: boolean) {
 		this.source = source;
@@ -258,6 +259,7 @@ export default class Stylesheet {
 		this.keyframes = new Map();
 
 		this.nodesWithCssClass = new Set();
+		this.nodesWithRefCssClass = new Map();
 
 		if (ast.css && ast.css.children.length) {
 			this.id = `svelte-${hash(ast.css.content.styles)}`;
@@ -337,6 +339,9 @@ export default class Stylesheet {
 		this.nodesWithCssClass.forEach((node: Node) => {
 			node.addCssClass();
 		});
+		this.nodesWithRefCssClass.forEach((node: Node, name: String) => {
+			node.addCssClass(`svelte-ref-${name}`);
+		})
 	}
 
 	render(cssOutputFilename: string, shouldTransformSelectors: boolean) {
diff --git a/test/css/samples/refs-qualified/expected.css b/test/css/samples/refs-qualified/expected.css
index 90e58e2a80..9872b67fed 100644
--- a/test/css/samples/refs-qualified/expected.css
+++ b/test/css/samples/refs-qualified/expected.css
@@ -1 +1 @@
-[svelte-ref-button].active.svelte-xyz{color:red}
\ No newline at end of file
+.svelte-ref-button.active.svelte-xyz{color:red}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/css/samples/refs-qualified/expected.html b/test/css/samples/refs-qualified/expected.html
index 536bae83f8..06ddcc43ef 100644
--- a/test/css/samples/refs-qualified/expected.html
+++ b/test/css/samples/refs-qualified/expected.html
@@ -1 +1 @@
-<button svelte-ref-button="" class="active svelte-xyz">deactivate</button>
\ No newline at end of file
+<button class="active svelte-xyz svelte-ref-button">deactivate</button>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/css/samples/refs/expected.css b/test/css/samples/refs/expected.css
index c0018c9593..2ab337cd2c 100644
--- a/test/css/samples/refs/expected.css
+++ b/test/css/samples/refs/expected.css
@@ -1 +1 @@
-[svelte-ref-a].svelte-xyz{color:red}[svelte-ref-b].svelte-xyz{color:green}
\ No newline at end of file
+.svelte-ref-a.svelte-xyz{color:red}.svelte-ref-b.svelte-xyz{color:green}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/css/samples/refs/expected.html b/test/css/samples/refs/expected.html
index 2b504628c3..bc892a94e1 100644
--- a/test/css/samples/refs/expected.html
+++ b/test/css/samples/refs/expected.html
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
-<div class="svelte-xyz" svelte-ref-a=''></div>
-<div class="svelte-xyz" svelte-ref-b=''></div>
+<div class="svelte-xyz svelte-ref-a"></div>
+<div class="svelte-xyz svelte-ref-b"></div>
 <div></div>
\ No newline at end of file