diff --git a/clutter/clutter/clutter-clone.c b/clutter/clutter/clutter-clone.c
index 6b534e69b..fe34359d8 100644
--- a/clutter/clutter/clutter-clone.c
+++ b/clutter/clutter/clutter-clone.c
@@ -52,6 +52,8 @@
 struct _ClutterClonePrivate
 {
   ClutterActor *clone_source;
+  float x_scale, y_scale;
+
   gulong source_destroy_id;
 };
 
@@ -122,8 +124,6 @@ static void
 clutter_clone_apply_transform (ClutterActor *self, CoglMatrix *matrix)
 {
   ClutterClonePrivate *priv = CLUTTER_CLONE (self)->priv;
-  ClutterActorBox box, source_box;
-  gfloat x_scale, y_scale;
 
   /* First chain up and apply all the standard ClutterActor
    * transformations... */
@@ -134,21 +134,7 @@ clutter_clone_apply_transform (ClutterActor *self, CoglMatrix *matrix)
   if (priv->clone_source == NULL)
     return;
 
-  /* get our allocated size */
-  clutter_actor_get_allocation_box (self, &box);
-
-  /* and get the allocated size of the source */
-  clutter_actor_get_allocation_box (priv->clone_source, &source_box);
-
-  /* We need to scale what the clone-source actor paints to fill our own
-   * allocation...
-   */
-  x_scale = clutter_actor_box_get_width (&box)
-          / clutter_actor_box_get_width (&source_box);
-  y_scale = clutter_actor_box_get_height (&box)
-          / clutter_actor_box_get_height (&source_box);
-
-  cogl_matrix_scale (matrix, x_scale, y_scale, 1.f);
+  cogl_matrix_scale (matrix, priv->x_scale, priv->y_scale, 1.f);
 }
 
 static void
@@ -244,6 +230,8 @@ clutter_clone_allocate (ClutterActor           *self,
 {
   ClutterClonePrivate *priv = CLUTTER_CLONE (self)->priv;
   ClutterActorClass *parent_class;
+  ClutterActorBox source_box;
+  float x_scale, y_scale;
 
   /* chain up */
   parent_class = CLUTTER_ACTOR_CLASS (clutter_clone_parent_class);
@@ -259,6 +247,23 @@ clutter_clone_allocate (ClutterActor           *self,
       !clutter_actor_has_allocation (priv->clone_source))
     clutter_actor_allocate_preferred_size (priv->clone_source);
 
+  clutter_actor_get_allocation_box (priv->clone_source, &source_box);
+
+  /* We need to scale what the clone-source actor paints to fill our own
+   * allocation...
+   */
+  x_scale = clutter_actor_box_get_width (box)
+          / clutter_actor_box_get_width (&source_box);
+  y_scale = clutter_actor_box_get_height (box)
+          / clutter_actor_box_get_height (&source_box);
+
+  if (!G_APPROX_VALUE (priv->x_scale, x_scale, FLT_EPSILON) ||
+      !G_APPROX_VALUE (priv->y_scale, y_scale, FLT_EPSILON))
+    {
+      priv->x_scale = x_scale;
+      priv->y_scale = y_scale;
+    }
+
 #if 0
   /* XXX - this is wrong: ClutterClone cannot clone unparented
    * actors, as it will break all invariants
@@ -364,6 +369,9 @@ static void
 clutter_clone_init (ClutterClone *self)
 {
   self->priv = clutter_clone_get_instance_private (self);
+
+  self->priv->x_scale = 1.f;
+  self->priv->y_scale = 1.f;
 }
 
 /**