diff --git a/js/ui/backgroundMenu.js b/js/ui/backgroundMenu.js
index 06e698ca7..dcbbb393f 100644
--- a/js/ui/backgroundMenu.js
+++ b/js/ui/backgroundMenu.js
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ const BackgroundMenu = new Lang.Class({
     Name: 'BackgroundMenu',
     Extends: PopupMenu.PopupMenu,
 
-    _init: function(source) {
+    _init: function(source, layoutManager) {
         this.parent(source, 0, St.Side.TOP);
 
         this.addSettingsAction(_("Settings"), 'gnome-control-center.desktop');
@@ -22,17 +22,17 @@ const BackgroundMenu = new Lang.Class({
 
         this.actor.add_style_class_name('background-menu');
 
-        Main.uiGroup.add_actor(this.actor);
+        layoutManager.uiGroup.add_actor(this.actor);
         this.actor.hide();
     }
 });
 
-function addBackgroundMenu(actor) {
+function addBackgroundMenu(actor, layoutManager) {
     let cursor = new St.Bin({ opacity: 0 });
-    Main.uiGroup.add_actor(cursor);
+    layoutManager.uiGroup.add_actor(cursor);
 
     actor.reactive = true;
-    actor._backgroundMenu = new BackgroundMenu(cursor);
+    actor._backgroundMenu = new BackgroundMenu(cursor, layoutManager);
     actor._backgroundManager = new PopupMenu.PopupMenuManager({ actor: actor });
     actor._backgroundManager.addMenu(actor._backgroundMenu);
 
diff --git a/js/ui/layout.js b/js/ui/layout.js
index 17073a6db..80bae9d8a 100644
--- a/js/ui/layout.js
+++ b/js/ui/layout.js
@@ -352,26 +352,26 @@ const LayoutManager = new Lang.Class({
         this.emit('hot-corners-changed');
     },
 
-    _createBackground: function(monitorIndex) {
+    _addBackgroundMenu: function(bgManager) {
+        BackgroundMenu.addBackgroundMenu(bgManager.background.actor, this);
+    },
+
+    _createBackgroundManager: function(monitorIndex) {
         let bgManager = new Background.BackgroundManager({ container: this._backgroundGroup,
                                                            layoutManager: this,
                                                            monitorIndex: monitorIndex });
-        BackgroundMenu.addBackgroundMenu(bgManager.background.actor);
 
-        bgManager.connect('changed', Lang.bind(this, function() {
-                              BackgroundMenu.addBackgroundMenu(bgManager.background.actor);
-                          }));
+        bgManager.connect('changed', Lang.bind(this, this._addBackgroundMenu));
+        this._addBackgroundMenu(bgManager);
 
-        this._bgManagers[monitorIndex] = bgManager;
-
-        return bgManager.background;
+        return bgManager;
     },
 
-    _createSecondaryBackgrounds: function() {
+    _showSecondaryBackgrounds: function() {
         for (let i = 0; i < this.monitors.length; i++) {
             if (i != this.primaryIndex) {
-                let background = this._createBackground(i);
-
+                let background = this._bgManagers[i].background;
+                background.actor.show();
                 background.actor.opacity = 0;
                 Tweener.addTween(background.actor,
                                  { opacity: 255,
@@ -381,10 +381,6 @@ const LayoutManager = new Lang.Class({
         }
     },
 
-    _createPrimaryBackground: function() {
-        this._createBackground(this.primaryIndex);
-    },
-
     _updateBackgrounds: function() {
         let i;
         for (i = 0; i < this._bgManagers.length; i++)
@@ -395,11 +391,12 @@ const LayoutManager = new Lang.Class({
         if (Main.sessionMode.isGreeter)
             return;
 
-        if (this._startingUp)
-            return;
-
         for (let i = 0; i < this.monitors.length; i++) {
-            this._createBackground(i);
+            let bgManager = this._createBackgroundManager(i);
+            this._bgManagers.push(bgManager);
+
+            if (i != this.primaryIndex && this._startingUp)
+                bgManager.background.actor.hide();
         }
     },
 
@@ -595,7 +592,7 @@ const LayoutManager = new Lang.Class({
         if (Main.sessionMode.isGreeter) {
             this.panelBox.translation_y = -this.panelBox.height;
         } else {
-            this._createPrimaryBackground();
+            this._updateBackgrounds();
 
             // We need to force an update of the regions now before we scale
             // the UI group to get the coorect allocation for the struts.
@@ -673,7 +670,7 @@ const LayoutManager = new Lang.Class({
         this.keyboardBox.show();
 
         if (!Main.sessionMode.isGreeter) {
-            this._createSecondaryBackgrounds();
+            this._showSecondaryBackgrounds();
             global.window_group.remove_clip();
         }