diff --git a/src/components/gridList/grid-list.js b/src/components/gridList/grid-list.js
index 7f4fe334113..5e701cd7f0a 100644
--- a/src/components/gridList/grid-list.js
+++ b/src/components/gridList/grid-list.js
@@ -319,14 +319,12 @@ function GridListDirective($interpolate, $mdConstant, $mdGridLayout, $mdMedia) {
     }
 
     function getGridStyle(colCount, rowCount, gutter, rowMode, rowHeight) {
-      var style = {
-        height: '',
-        paddingBottom: ''
-      };
+      var style = {};
 
       switch(rowMode) {
         case 'fixed':
           style.height = DIMENSION({ unit: rowHeight, span: rowCount, gutter: gutter });
+          style.paddingBottom = '';
           break;
 
         case 'ratio':
@@ -336,6 +334,7 @@ function GridListDirective($interpolate, $mdConstant, $mdGridLayout, $mdMedia) {
               vShare = hShare * (1 / rowHeight),
               vUnit = UNIT({ share: vShare, gutterShare: hGutterShare, gutter: gutter });
 
+          style.height = '';
           style.paddingBottom = DIMENSION({ unit: vUnit, span: rowCount, gutter: gutter});
           break;