borders don't full show w/background imags

I don't know if this will work but you could set the background of your master div to transparent and give it a position other than static. Positioned elements by default have a greater z-index than non-positioned(static) elements. I Don't know about how floats are ranked within the hierarchy of z-index though but you could look it up. Also adjust the z-index value so that it has a greater value than those of the contained div's.

z-index definition(Html Utopia: Designing Without Tables Using CSS - Dan Shafer): For any element for which the position property is other than static, this property sets the stacking order relative to other positioned elements within the same stacking context

Non-positioned elements are always positioned beneath all positioned elements in the same stacking context; they effectively have a z-index of 0. Elements in the same stacking context with the same z-index are stacked in the order they appear in the document(html), with later elements overlaying earlier ones.

#masterdiv{
position: absolute;
background: transparent; /*so that when the masterdiv lays on top the rest is not obscured*/
z-index: (higher value than the z-index of the contained div-s)
}

show your code or give a link

my bet is that you used floats or absolute positioning which are both taken out of the document flow.

I'll get a test page posted but yes, I am using absolute positioning within the mater container div that is set to relative.

I'm guessing I will have to put the boarders in the background graphics or overlay a 'transparent' div with the highest z-index.

Thanks,

I think that should do the trick but indeed try to post a sample page so we can test and tell you what works and what doesn't!

huh? Don't touch z-index with a 10 foot pole. What does that possibly have to do with a background not appearing????

Oh wait, were you trying to make visitors to your site unable to click any links or highlight any text?