diff --git a/packages/mdc-checkbox/_checkbox-theme.scss b/packages/mdc-checkbox/_checkbox-theme.scss
index 36b4b98a7c1..4f15e3392bf 100644
--- a/packages/mdc-checkbox/_checkbox-theme.scss
+++ b/packages/mdc-checkbox/_checkbox-theme.scss
@@ -68,6 +68,95 @@ $density-config: (
 
 $ripple-target: '.mdc-checkbox__ripple';
 
+/// Material baseline light theme configuration of checkbox.
+/// See https://material.io/components/selection-controls for spec.
+$light-theme: (
+  density-scale: 0,
+  checkmark-color: $mark-color,
+  container-checked-color: theme-color.prop-value($baseline-theme-color),
+  container-checked-hover-color: null,
+  container-disabled-color: $disabled-color,
+  outline-color: $border-color,
+  outline-hover-color: null,
+  ripple-color: theme-color.$on-surface,
+  ripple-opacity: ripple-theme.$dark-ink-opacities,
+  ripple-checked-color: theme-color.prop-value($baseline-theme-color),
+  ripple-checked-opacity: ripple-theme.$dark-ink-opacities,
+);
+
+/// Sets theme to checkbox based on provided theme configuration.
+/// Only emits theme related styles. Theme styles should be included after
+/// `static-styles()`.
+/// @param {Map} $theme - Theme configuration to use for theming checkbox.
+@mixin theme($theme, $query: feature-targeting.all()) {
+  $ripple-color: map.get($theme, ripple-color);
+  $ripple-opacity: map.get($theme, ripple-opacity);
+  @if $ripple-color {
+    @include ripple-color(
+      $color: $ripple-color,
+      $opacity-map: $ripple-opacity,
+      $query: $query
+    );
+  }
+
+  $ripple-checked-color: map.get($theme, ripple-checked-color);
+  $ripple-checked-opacity: map.get($theme, ripple-checked-opacity);
+  @if $ripple-checked-color {
+    @include focus-indicator-color(
+      $color: $ripple-checked-color,
+      $opacity-map: $ripple-checked-opacity,
+      $query: $query
+    );
+  }
+
+  $density-scale: map.get($theme, density-scale);
+  @if $density-scale != null {
+    @include density($density-scale: $density-scale, $query: $query);
+  }
+
+  $outline-color: map.get($theme, outline-color);
+  $container-checked-color: map.get($theme, container-checked-color);
+  @if ($outline-color and $container-checked-color) {
+    @include container-colors(
+      $unmarked-stroke-color: $outline-color,
+      $marked-stroke-color: $container-checked-color,
+      $marked-fill-color: $container-checked-color,
+      $query: $query
+    );
+  }
+
+  $outline-hover-color: map.get($theme, outline-hover-color);
+  $container-checked-hover-color: map.get(
+    $theme,
+    container-checked-hover-color
+  );
+  @if ($outline-hover-color and $container-checked-hover-color) {
+    @include ripple-theme.states-selector() {
+      @include container-colors(
+        $unmarked-stroke-color: $outline-hover-color,
+        $marked-stroke-color: $container-checked-hover-color,
+        $marked-fill-color: $container-checked-hover-color,
+        $query: $query
+      );
+    }
+  }
+
+  $container-disabled-color: map.get($theme, container-disabled-color);
+  @if $container-disabled-color {
+    @include disabled-container-colors(
+      $unmarked-stroke-color: $container-disabled-color,
+      $marked-fill-color: $container-disabled-color,
+      $query: $query
+    );
+  }
+
+  $checkmark-color: map.get($theme, checkmark-color);
+  @if $checkmark-color {
+    @include ink-color($checkmark-color, $query: $query);
+    @include disabled-ink-color($checkmark-color, $query: $query);
+  }
+}
+
 ///
 /// Sets density scale for checkbox.
 ///
@@ -314,7 +403,26 @@ $ripple-target: '.mdc-checkbox__ripple';
   }
 }
 
-@mixin focus-indicator-color($color, $query: feature-targeting.all()) {
+/// Sets ripple color when checkbox is not in checked state.
+@mixin ripple-color(
+  $color,
+  $opacity-map: null,
+  $query: feature-targeting.all()
+) {
+  @include ripple-theme.states(
+    $color: $color,
+    $opacity-map: $opacity-map,
+    $query: $query,
+    $ripple-target: $ripple-target
+  );
+}
+
+/// Sets focus indicator color when checkbox is in checked state.
+@mixin focus-indicator-color(
+  $color,
+  $opacity-map: null,
+  $query: feature-targeting.all()
+) {
   $feat-color: feature-targeting.create-target($query, color);
 
   .mdc-checkbox__native-control:checked ~ .mdc-checkbox__background::before,
@@ -330,6 +438,7 @@ $ripple-target: '.mdc-checkbox__ripple';
   &.mdc-checkbox--selected {
     @include ripple-theme.states(
       $color: $color,
+      $opacity-map: $opacity-map,
       $query: $query,
       $ripple-target: $ripple-target
     );
diff --git a/packages/mdc-checkbox/_checkbox.scss b/packages/mdc-checkbox/_checkbox.scss
index baf32cde5ce..b3589e1d0d4 100644
--- a/packages/mdc-checkbox/_checkbox.scss
+++ b/packages/mdc-checkbox/_checkbox.scss
@@ -209,23 +209,8 @@
 /// Checkbox styles that are customizable should go here.
 @mixin theme-styles($query: feature-targeting.all()) {
   .mdc-checkbox {
-    @include checkbox-theme.focus-indicator-color(
-      checkbox-theme.$baseline-theme-color,
-      $query: $query
-    );
-    @include checkbox-theme.density(
-      checkbox-theme.$density-scale,
-      $query: $query
-    );
+    @include checkbox-theme.theme(checkbox-theme.$light-theme, $query: $query);
   }
-
-  @include checkbox-theme.container-colors($query: $query);
-  @include checkbox-theme.disabled-container-colors($query: $query);
-  @include checkbox-theme.ink-color(checkbox-theme.$mark-color, $query: $query);
-  @include checkbox-theme.disabled-ink-color(
-    checkbox-theme.$mark-color,
-    $query: $query
-  );
 }
 
 /// Checkbox's ripple styles.
@@ -242,15 +227,14 @@
       $query: $query,
       $ripple-target: checkbox-theme.$ripple-target
     );
-    @include ripple-theme.states(
-      $color: on-surface,
-      $query: $query,
-      $ripple-target: checkbox-theme.$ripple-target
-    );
     @include ripple.radius-unbounded(
       $query: $query,
       $ripple-target: checkbox-theme.$ripple-target
     );
+    @include ripple-theme.behind-content(
+      checkbox-theme.$ripple-target,
+      $query: $query
+    );
   }
 
   #{checkbox-theme.$ripple-target} {
@@ -283,11 +267,7 @@
 }
 
 @mixin child--upgraded_ {
-  // Due to the myriad of selector combos used to properly style a CSS-only checkbox, all of
-  // which have varying selector precedence and make use of transitions, it is cleaner and more
-  // efficient here to simply use !important, since the mdc-checkbox--anim-* classes will take
-  // over from here.
-  transition: none !important;
+  transition: none;
 }
 
 // Animation
diff --git a/packages/mdc-ripple/_ripple-theme.scss b/packages/mdc-ripple/_ripple-theme.scss
index 7fdd96367d1..5108c05a7ae 100644
--- a/packages/mdc-ripple/_ripple-theme.scss
+++ b/packages/mdc-ripple/_ripple-theme.scss
@@ -241,13 +241,15 @@ $pressed-light-ink-opacity: 0.32 !default;
   $color: theme-color.prop-value(on-surface),
   $has-nested-focusable-element: false,
   $query: feature-targeting.all(),
-  $ripple-target: '&'
+  $ripple-target: '&',
+  $opacity-map: null
 ) {
   @include states-interactions_(
     $color: $color,
     $has-nested-focusable-element: $has-nested-focusable-element,
     $query: $query,
-    $ripple-target: $ripple-target
+    $ripple-target: $ripple-target,
+    $opacity-map: $opacity-map
   );
 }
 
@@ -317,17 +319,20 @@ $pressed-light-ink-opacity: 0.32 !default;
   $has-nested-focusable-element,
   $opacity-modifier: 0,
   $query: feature-targeting.all(),
-  $ripple-target: '&'
+  $ripple-target: '&',
+  $opacity-map: null
 ) {
   @include target-selector($ripple-target) {
     @include states-base-color($color, $query);
   }
 
-  $opacity-map: (
-    hover: states-opacity($color, hover) + $opacity-modifier,
-    focus: states-opacity($color, focus) + $opacity-modifier,
-    press: states-opacity($color, press) + $opacity-modifier,
-  );
+  @if $opacity-map == null {
+    $opacity-map: (
+      hover: states-opacity($color, hover) + $opacity-modifier,
+      focus: states-opacity($color, focus) + $opacity-modifier,
+      press: states-opacity($color, press) + $opacity-modifier,
+    );
+  }
 
   @include states-opacities(
     $opacity-map,
@@ -348,6 +353,34 @@ $pressed-light-ink-opacity: 0.32 !default;
   }
 }
 
+/// Selector for hover, active and focus states.
+@mixin states-selector() {
+  &:hover,
+  &:active,
+  &:focus,
+  &.mdc-ripple-upgraded--background-focused {
+    @content;
+  }
+}
+
+/// Keep the ripple (State overlay) behind the content.
+@mixin behind-content($ripple-target: '&', $query: feature-targeting.all()) {
+  // Needed for IE11. Without this, IE11 renders the state layer completely
+  // underneath the container, making it invisible.
+  $feat-structure: feature-targeting.create-target($query, structure);
+
+  @include feature-targeting.targets($feat-structure) {
+    z-index: 0;
+  }
+
+  #{$ripple-target}::before,
+  #{$ripple-target}::after {
+    @include feature-targeting.targets($feat-structure) {
+      z-index: -1;
+    }
+  }
+}
+
 @function states-opacity($color, $state) {
   $opacity-map: states-opacities_($color);