diff --git a/lib/core/annotation_src.dart b/lib/core/annotation_src.dart
index 1c1796d12..ee5270362 100644
--- a/lib/core/annotation_src.dart
+++ b/lib/core/annotation_src.dart
@@ -308,6 +308,13 @@ class Component extends Directive {
   @deprecated
   final String publishAs;
 
+  /**
+   * If set to true, this component will always use shadow DOM.
+   * If set to false, this component will never use shadow DOM.
+   * If unset, the compiler's default construction strategy will be used
+   */
+  final bool useShadowDom;
+
   const Component({
     this.template,
     this.templateUrl,
@@ -320,7 +327,8 @@ class Component extends Directive {
     selector,
     visibility,
     exportExpressions,
-    exportExpressionAttrs})
+    exportExpressionAttrs,
+    this.useShadowDom})
       : _cssUrls = cssUrl,
         _applyAuthorStyles = applyAuthorStyles,
         _resetStyleInheritance = resetStyleInheritance,
@@ -349,7 +357,8 @@ class Component extends Directive {
           selector: selector,
           visibility: visibility,
           exportExpressions: exportExpressions,
-          exportExpressionAttrs: exportExpressionAttrs);
+          exportExpressionAttrs: exportExpressionAttrs,
+          useShadowDom: useShadowDom);
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/lib/core_dom/element_binder.dart b/lib/core_dom/element_binder.dart
index 13035f6fc..dd01377ac 100644
--- a/lib/core_dom/element_binder.dart
+++ b/lib/core_dom/element_binder.dart
@@ -14,9 +14,13 @@ class TemplateElementBinder extends ElementBinder {
     return _directiveCache = [template];
   }
 
-  TemplateElementBinder(_perf, _expando, _parser, _componentFactory, this.template, this.templateBinder,
+  TemplateElementBinder(perf, expando, parser, componentFactory,
+                        transcludingComponentFactory, shadowDomComponentFactory,
+                        this.template, this.templateBinder,
                         onEvents, bindAttrs, childMode)
-      : super(_perf, _expando, _parser, _componentFactory, null, null, onEvents, bindAttrs, childMode);
+      : super(perf, expando, parser, componentFactory,
+          transcludingComponentFactory, shadowDomComponentFactory,
+          null, null, onEvents, bindAttrs, childMode);
 
   String toString() => "[TemplateElementBinder template:$template]";
 
@@ -41,7 +45,11 @@ class ElementBinder {
   final Profiler _perf;
   final Expando _expando;
   final Parser _parser;
+
+  // The default component factory
   final ComponentFactory _componentFactory;
+  final TranscludingComponentFactory _transcludingComponentFactory;
+  final ShadowDomComponentFactory _shadowDomComponentFactory;
   final Map onEvents;
   final Map bindAttrs;
 
@@ -53,7 +61,11 @@ class ElementBinder {
   // Can be either COMPILE_CHILDREN or IGNORE_CHILDREN
   final String childMode;
 
-  ElementBinder(this._perf, this._expando, this._parser, this._componentFactory, this.component, this.decorators,
+  ElementBinder(this._perf, this._expando, this._parser,
+                this._componentFactory,
+                this._transcludingComponentFactory,
+                this._shadowDomComponentFactory,
+                this.component, this.decorators,
                 this.onEvents, this.bindAttrs, this.childMode);
 
   final bool hasTemplate = false;
@@ -215,7 +227,16 @@ class ElementBinder {
       }
       nodesAttrsDirectives.add(ref);
     } else if (ref.annotation is Component) {
-      nodeModule.factory(ref.type, _componentFactory.call(node, ref), visibility: visibility);
+      var factory;
+      var annotation = ref.annotation as Component;
+      if (annotation.useShadowDom == true) {
+        factory = _shadowDomComponentFactory;
+      } else if (annotation.useShadowDom == false) {
+        factory = _transcludingComponentFactory;
+      } else {
+        factory = _componentFactory;
+      }
+      nodeModule.factory(ref.type, factory.call(node, ref), visibility: visibility);
     } else {
       nodeModule.type(ref.type, visibility: visibility);
     }
diff --git a/lib/core_dom/element_binder_builder.dart b/lib/core_dom/element_binder_builder.dart
index 12c4fbcb5..050c53c18 100644
--- a/lib/core_dom/element_binder_builder.dart
+++ b/lib/core_dom/element_binder_builder.dart
@@ -6,17 +6,22 @@ class ElementBinderFactory {
   final Profiler _perf;
   final Expando _expando;
   final ComponentFactory _componentFactory;
+  final TranscludingComponentFactory _transcludingComponentFactory;
+  final ShadowDomComponentFactory _shadowDomComponentFactory;
 
-  ElementBinderFactory(this._parser, this._perf, this._expando, this._componentFactory);
+  ElementBinderFactory(this._parser, this._perf, this._expando, this._componentFactory,
+      this._transcludingComponentFactory, this._shadowDomComponentFactory);
 
   // TODO: Optimize this to re-use a builder.
   ElementBinderBuilder builder() => new ElementBinderBuilder(this);
 
   ElementBinder binder(ElementBinderBuilder b) =>
       new ElementBinder(_perf, _expando, _parser, _componentFactory,
+          _transcludingComponentFactory, _shadowDomComponentFactory,
           b.component, b.decorators, b.onEvents, b.bindAttrs, b.childMode);
   TemplateElementBinder templateBinder(ElementBinderBuilder b, ElementBinder transclude) =>
       new TemplateElementBinder(_perf, _expando, _parser, _componentFactory,
+          _transcludingComponentFactory, _shadowDomComponentFactory,
           b.template, transclude, b.onEvents, b.bindAttrs, b.childMode);
 }
 
diff --git a/lib/core_dom/module_internal.dart b/lib/core_dom/module_internal.dart
index a94445170..810f2f6a7 100644
--- a/lib/core_dom/module_internal.dart
+++ b/lib/core_dom/module_internal.dart
@@ -57,6 +57,8 @@ class CoreDomModule extends Module {
     type(Compiler, implementedBy: TaggingCompiler);
 
     type(ComponentFactory, implementedBy: ShadowDomComponentFactory);
+    type(ShadowDomComponentFactory);
+    type(TranscludingComponentFactory);
     type(Content);
     value(ContentPort, null);
     
diff --git a/test/core/annotation_src_spec.dart b/test/core/annotation_src_spec.dart
index 4fabc414d..c3d7f8e44 100644
--- a/test/core/annotation_src_spec.dart
+++ b/test/core/annotation_src_spec.dart
@@ -45,7 +45,8 @@ void main() => describe('annotations', () {
         selector: '',
         visibility: Directive.LOCAL_VISIBILITY,
         exportExpressions: [],
-        exportExpressionAttrs: []
+        exportExpressionAttrs: [],
+        useShadowDom: true
       );
 
       // Check that no fields are null
diff --git a/test/core_dom/compiler_spec.dart b/test/core_dom/compiler_spec.dart
index 5fb4002ac..f86eea9aa 100644
--- a/test/core_dom/compiler_spec.dart
+++ b/test/core_dom/compiler_spec.dart
@@ -618,6 +618,35 @@ void main() {
           }).toThrow('Unknown selector format \'buttonbar button\' for InvalidSelector');
         });
       });
+
+      describe('useShadowDom option', () {
+        beforeEachModule((Module m) {
+          m.type(ShadowyComponent);
+          m.type(ShadowlessComponent);
+        });
+
+        it('should create shadowy components', async((Logger log) {
+          _.compile('<shadowy></shadowy>');
+          expect(log).toEqual(['shadowy']);
+          expect(_.rootElement.shadowRoot).toBeNotNull();
+        }));
+
+        it('should create shadowless components', async((Logger log) {
+          _.compile('<shadowless></shadowless>');
+          expect(log).toEqual(['shadowless']);
+          expect(_.rootElement.shadowRoot).toBeNull();
+        }));
+
+        it('should create other components with the default strategy', async((ComponentFactory factory) {
+          _.compile('<simple></simple>');
+          if (factory is TranscludingComponentFactory) {
+            expect(_.rootElement.shadowRoot).toBeNull();
+          } else {
+            expect(factory is ShadowDomComponentFactory).toBeTruthy();
+            expect(_.rootElement.shadowRoot).toBeNotNull();
+          }
+        }));
+      });
     });
 
 
@@ -807,6 +836,27 @@ class SimpleComponent {
   }
 }
 
+@Component(
+  selector: 'shadowy',
+  template: r'With shadow DOM',
+  useShadowDom: true
+)
+class ShadowyComponent {
+  ShadowyComponent(Logger log) {
+    log('shadowy');
+  }
+}
+
+@Component(
+    selector: 'shadowless',
+    template: r'Without shadow DOM',
+    useShadowDom: false
+)
+class ShadowlessComponent {
+  ShadowlessComponent(Logger log) {
+    log('shadowless');
+  }
+}
 
 @Component(
   selector: 'sometimes',