diff --git a/src/css/Selector.ts b/src/css/Selector.ts
index 1ca0b240f2..aea2abbe07 100644
--- a/src/css/Selector.ts
+++ b/src/css/Selector.ts
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ export default class Selector {
 
 		if (toEncapsulate.length > 0) {
 			toEncapsulate.filter((_, i) => i === 0 || i === toEncapsulate.length - 1).forEach(({ node, block }) => {
-				node._needsCssAttribute = true;
+				node.addCssClass();
 				block.shouldEncapsulate = true;
 			});
 
diff --git a/src/css/Stylesheet.ts b/src/css/Stylesheet.ts
index 3b37ca526e..cf0b8d523f 100644
--- a/src/css/Stylesheet.ts
+++ b/src/css/Stylesheet.ts
@@ -353,7 +353,7 @@ export default class Stylesheet {
 		}
 
 		if (this.cascade) {
-			if (stack.length === 0) node._needsCssAttribute = true;
+			if (stack.length === 0) node.addCssClass();
 			return;
 		}
 
diff --git a/src/generators/nodes/Attribute.ts b/src/generators/nodes/Attribute.ts
index 69d8808730..57b387d20b 100644
--- a/src/generators/nodes/Attribute.ts
+++ b/src/generators/nodes/Attribute.ts
@@ -141,10 +141,6 @@ export default class Attribute {
 				shouldCache = true;
 			}
 
-			if (node._needsCssAttribute && name === 'class') {
-				value = `(${value}) + " ${this.generator.stylesheet.id}"`;
-			}
-
 			const isSelectValueAttribute =
 				name === 'value' && node.name === 'select';
 
@@ -227,21 +223,10 @@ export default class Attribute {
 				);
 			}
 		} else {
-			const isScopedClassAttribute = (
-				name === 'class' &&
-				this.parent._needsCssAttribute &&
-				!this.generator.customElement
-			);
-
-			const value = isScopedClassAttribute && this.value !== true
-				? this.value.length === 0
-					? `'${this.generator.stylesheet.id}'`
-					: stringify(this.value[0].data.concat(` ${this.generator.stylesheet.id}`))
-				: this.value === true
-					? 'true'
-					: this.value.length === 0
-						? `''`
-						: stringify(this.value[0].data);
+		const value =
+			this.value === true
+				? 'true'
+				: this.value.length === 0 ? `''` : stringify(this.value[0].data);
 
 			const statement = (
 				isLegacyInputType
diff --git a/src/generators/nodes/Element.ts b/src/generators/nodes/Element.ts
index e836d072ce..1b5b49f498 100644
--- a/src/generators/nodes/Element.ts
+++ b/src/generators/nodes/Element.ts
@@ -212,22 +212,11 @@ export default class Element extends Node {
 			block.builders.unmount.addLine(`@detachNode(${name});`);
 		}
 
-		// add CSS encapsulation attribute
-		if (this._needsCssAttribute && !this.generator.customElement) {
-			if (!this.attributes.find(a => a.type === 'Attribute' && a.name === 'class')) {
-				block.builders.hydrate.addLine(
-					this.namespace
-						? `@setAttribute(${name}, "class", "${this.generator.stylesheet.id}");`
-						: `${name}.className = "${this.generator.stylesheet.id}";`
-				);
-			}
-
-			// TODO move this into a class as well?
-			if (this._cssRefAttribute) {
-				block.builders.hydrate.addLine(
-					`@setAttribute(${name}, "svelte-ref-${this._cssRefAttribute}", "");`
-				)
-			}
+		// 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
@@ -438,17 +427,9 @@ export default class Element extends Node {
 			}
 
 			node.attributes.forEach((attr: Node) => {
-				const value = (node._needsCssAttribute && attr.name === 'class')
-					? [{ type: 'Text', data: `${attr.value[0].data} ${generator.stylesheet.id}` }]
-					: attr.value;
-
-				open += ` ${fixAttributeCasing(attr.name)}${stringifyAttributeValue(value)}`
+				open += ` ${fixAttributeCasing(attr.name)}${stringifyAttributeValue(attr.value)}`
 			});
 
-			if (node._needsCssAttribute && !node.attributes.find(a => a.name === 'class')) {
-				open += ` class="${generator.stylesheet.id}"`;
-			}
-
 			if (isVoidElementName(node.name)) return open + '>';
 
 			return `${open}>${node.children.map(toHTML).join('')}</${node.name}>`;
@@ -688,6 +669,30 @@ export default class Element extends Node {
 
 		return `@appendNode(${this.var}, ${name}._slotted${this.generator.legacy ? `["default"]` : `.default`});`;
 	}
+
+	addCssClass() {
+		if (this._addedCssClass || this.generator.customElement) return;
+		this._addedCssClass = true;
+		const classAttribute = this.attributes.find(a => a.name === 'class');
+		if (classAttribute && classAttribute.value !== true) {
+			if (classAttribute.value.length === 1 && classAttribute.value[0].type === 'Text') {
+				classAttribute.value[0].data += ` ${this.generator.stylesheet.id}`;
+			} else {
+				(<Node[]>classAttribute.value).push(
+					new Node({ type: 'Text', data: ` ${this.generator.stylesheet.id}` })
+				);
+			}
+		} else {
+			this.attributes.push(
+				new Attribute({
+					generator: this.generator,
+					name: 'class',
+					value: [new Node({ type: 'Text', data: `${this.generator.stylesheet.id}` })],
+					parent: this,
+				})
+			);
+		}
+	}
 }
 
 function getRenderStatement(
diff --git a/src/generators/server-side-rendering/visitors/Element.ts b/src/generators/server-side-rendering/visitors/Element.ts
index e8a5c91c3b..62c1fc8703 100644
--- a/src/generators/server-side-rendering/visitors/Element.ts
+++ b/src/generators/server-side-rendering/visitors/Element.ts
@@ -50,25 +50,12 @@ export default function visitElement(
 			block.contextualise(attribute.value[0].expression);
 			openingTag += '${' + attribute.value[0].metadata.snippet + ' ? " ' + attribute.name + '" : "" }';
 		} else {
-			const value = attribute.name === 'class' && node._needsCssAttribute
-				? attribute.value.concat({
-					type: 'Text',
-					data: ` ${generator.stylesheet.id}`
-				})
-				: attribute.value;
-
-			openingTag += ` ${attribute.name}="${stringifyAttributeValue(block, value)}"`;
+			openingTag += ` ${attribute.name}="${stringifyAttributeValue(block, attribute.value)}"`;
 		}
 	});
 
-	if (node._needsCssAttribute && !node.attributes.find(a => a.type === 'Attribute' && a.name === 'class')) {
-		openingTag += ` class="${generator.stylesheet.id}"`;
-	}
-
-	if (node._needsCssAttribute) {
-		if (node._cssRefAttribute) {
-			openingTag += ` svelte-ref-${node._cssRefAttribute}`;
-		}
+	if (node._cssRefAttribute) {
+		openingTag += ` svelte-ref-${node._cssRefAttribute}`;
 	}
 
 	openingTag += '>';