diff --git a/sphinx/writers/latex.py b/sphinx/writers/latex.py
index 5858ad85e..706d00e01 100644
--- a/sphinx/writers/latex.py
+++ b/sphinx/writers/latex.py
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 import re
 import sys
 from os import path
+from collections import defaultdict
 
 from six import itervalues, text_type
 from docutils import nodes, writers
@@ -321,17 +322,19 @@ class Table(object):
         self.body = []                          # type: List[unicode]
         self.classes = node.get('classes', [])  # type: List[unicode]
         self.col = 0
+        self.row = 0
         self.colcount = 0
         self.colspec = None                     # type: unicode
         self.colwidths = []                     # type: List[int]
-        self.rowcount = 0
         self.has_problematic = False
         self.has_verbatim = False
         self.caption = None                     # type: List[unicode]
+        self.cells = defaultdict(int)           # type: Dict[Tuple[int, int], int]
+        self.cell_id = 0
 
     def is_longtable(self):
         # type: () -> bool
-        return self.rowcount > 30 or 'longtable' in self.classes
+        return self.row > 30 or 'longtable' in self.classes
 
     def get_table_type(self):
         # type: () -> unicode
@@ -361,6 +364,52 @@ class Table(object):
         else:
             return '{|' + ('l|' * self.colcount) + '}\n'
 
+    def add_cell(self, height, width):
+        self.cell_id += 1
+        for col in range(width):
+            for row in range(height):
+                assert self.cells[(self.row + row, self.col + col)] == 0
+                self.cells[(self.row + row, self.col + col)] = self.cell_id
+
+    def cell(self, row=None, col=None):
+        try:
+            if row is None:
+                row = self.row
+            if col is None:
+                col = self.col
+            return TableCell(self, row, col)
+        except IndexError:
+            return None
+
+
+class TableCell(object):
+    def __init__(self, table, row, col):
+        if table.cells[(row, col)] == 0:
+            raise IndexError
+
+        self.table = table
+        self.cell_id = table.cells[(row, col)]
+        for n in range(row + 1):
+            if table.cells[(row - n, col)] == self.cell_id:
+                self.row = row - n
+        for n in range(col + 1):
+            if table.cells[(row, col - n)] == self.cell_id:
+                self.col = col - n
+
+    @property
+    def width(self):
+        width = 0
+        while self.table.cells[(self.row, self.col + width)] == self.cell_id:
+            width += 1
+        return width
+
+    @property
+    def height(self):
+        height = 0
+        while self.table.cells[(self.row + height, self.col)] == self.cell_id:
+            height += 1
+        return height
+
 
 def escape_abbr(text):
     # type: (unicode) -> unicode
@@ -417,8 +466,6 @@ class LaTeXTranslator(nodes.NodeVisitor):
         self.in_parsed_literal = 0
         self.compact_list = 0
         self.first_param = 0
-        self.remember_multirow = {}     # type: Dict[int, int]
-        self.remember_multirowcol = {}  # type: Dict[int, int]
 
         # determine top section level
         if builder.config.latex_toplevel_sectioning:
@@ -1254,72 +1301,53 @@ class LaTeXTranslator(nodes.NodeVisitor):
     def depart_tbody(self, node):
         # type: (nodes.Node) -> None
         self.popbody()
-        self.remember_multirow = {}
-        self.remember_multirowcol = {}
 
     def visit_row(self, node):
         # type: (nodes.Node) -> None
         self.table.col = 0
-        for key, value in self.remember_multirow.items():
-            if not value and key in self.remember_multirowcol:
-                del self.remember_multirowcol[key]
+
+        # fill column if first one is a wide-multirow
+        cell = self.table.cell(self.table.row, 0)
+        if cell and cell.row != self.table.row:  # bottom part of multirow cell
+            self.table.col += cell.width
+            if cell.width > 1:  # use \multicolumn for wide multirow cell
+                self.body.append('\\multicolumn{%d}{|l|}{}\\relax ' % cell.width)
 
     def depart_row(self, node):
         # type: (nodes.Node) -> None
         self.body.append('\\\\\n')
-        if any(self.remember_multirow.values()):
-            linestart = 1
-            col = self.table.colcount
-            for col in range(1, self.table.col + 1):
-                if self.remember_multirow.get(col):
-                    if linestart != col:
-                        linerange = str(linestart) + '-' + str(col - 1)
-                        self.body.append('\\cline{' + linerange + '}')
-                    linestart = col + 1
-                    if self.remember_multirowcol.get(col, 0):
-                        linestart += self.remember_multirowcol[col]
-            if linestart <= col:
-                linerange = str(linestart) + '-' + str(col)
-                self.body.append('\\cline{' + linerange + '}')
-        else:
+        cells = [self.table.cell(self.table.row, i) for i in range(self.table.colcount)]
+        underlined = [cell.row + cell.height == self.table.row + 1 for cell in cells]
+        if all(underlined):
             self.body.append('\\hline')
-        self.table.rowcount += 1
+        else:
+            i = 0
+            underlined.extend([False])  # sentinel
+            while i < len(underlined):
+                if underlined[i] is True:
+                    j = underlined[i:].index(False)
+                    self.body.append('\\cline{%d-%d}' % (i + 1, i + j))
+                    i += j
+                i += 1
+        self.table.row += 1
 
     def visit_entry(self, node):
         # type: (nodes.Node) -> None
-        if self.table.col == 0:
-            while self.remember_multirow.get(self.table.col + 1, 0):
-                self.table.col += 1
-                self.remember_multirow[self.table.col] -= 1
-                if self.remember_multirowcol.get(self.table.col, 0):
-                    extracols = self.remember_multirowcol[self.table.col]
-                    self.body.append('\\multicolumn{')
-                    self.body.append(str(extracols + 1))
-                    self.body.append('}{|l|}{}\\relax ')
-                    self.table.col += extracols
-                self.body.append('&')
-        else:
+        if self.table.col > 0:
             self.body.append('&')
-        self.table.col += 1
+        self.table.add_cell(node.get('morerows', 0) + 1, node.get('morecols', 0) + 1)
+        cell = self.table.cell()
         context = ''
-        if 'morecols' in node:
-            self.body.append('\\multicolumn{')
-            self.body.append(str(node.get('morecols') + 1))
-            if self.table.col == 1:
-                self.body.append('}{|l|}{\\relax ')
+        if cell.width > 1:
+            self.body.append('\\multicolumn{%d}' % cell.width)
+            if self.table.col == 0:
+                self.body.append('{|l|}{\\relax ')
             else:
-                self.body.append('}{l|}{\\relax ')
+                self.body.append('{l|}{\\relax ')
             context += '\\unskip}\\relax '
-        if 'morerows' in node:
-            self.body.append('\\multirow{')
-            self.body.append(str(node.get('morerows') + 1))
-            self.body.append('}{*}{\\relax ')
+        if cell.height > 1:
+            self.body.append('\\multirow{%d}{*}{\\relax ' % cell.height)
             context += '\\unskip}\\relax '
-            self.remember_multirow[self.table.col] = node.get('morerows')
-        if 'morecols' in node:
-            if 'morerows' in node:
-                self.remember_multirowcol[self.table.col] = node.get('morecols')
-            self.table.col += node.get('morecols')
         if (('morecols' in node or 'morerows' in node) and
            (len(node) > 2 or len(node.astext().split('\n')) > 2)):
             self.in_merged_cell = 1
@@ -1333,16 +1361,6 @@ class LaTeXTranslator(nodes.NodeVisitor):
             else:
                 self.body.append('\\sphinxstylethead{\\relax ')
                 context += '\\unskip}\\relax '
-        while self.remember_multirow.get(self.table.col + 1, 0):
-            self.table.col += 1
-            self.remember_multirow[self.table.col] -= 1
-            context += '&'
-            if self.remember_multirowcol.get(self.table.col, 0):
-                extracols = self.remember_multirowcol[self.table.col]
-                context += '\\multicolumn{'
-                context += str(extracols + 1)
-                context += '}{l|}{}\\relax '
-                self.table.col += extracols
         if len(node.traverse(nodes.paragraph)) >= 2:
             self.table.has_problematic = True
         self.context.append(context)
@@ -1361,6 +1379,17 @@ class LaTeXTranslator(nodes.NodeVisitor):
                 self.body.append(line)
         self.body.append(self.context.pop())  # header
 
+        cell = self.table.cell()
+        self.table.col += cell.width
+
+        # fill column if next one is a wide-multirow
+        nextcell = self.table.cell()
+        if nextcell and nextcell.row != self.table.row:  # bottom part of multirow cell
+            self.table.col += nextcell.width
+            self.body.append('&')
+            if nextcell.width > 1:  # use \multicolumn for wide multirow cell
+                self.body.append('\\multicolumn{%d}{l|}{}\\relax ' % nextcell.width)
+
     def visit_acks(self, node):
         # type: (nodes.Node) -> None
         # this is a list in the source, but should be rendered as a
diff --git a/tests/roots/test-latex-table/index.rst b/tests/roots/test-latex-table/index.rst
index ae461df2d..129d024a0 100644
--- a/tests/roots/test-latex-table/index.rst
+++ b/tests/roots/test-latex-table/index.rst
@@ -12,6 +12,23 @@ cell2-1 cell2-2
 cell3-1 cell3-2
 ======= =======
 
+grid table
+----------
+
++---------+---------+---------+
+| header1 | header2 | header3 |
++=========+=========+=========+
+| cell1-1 | cell1-2 | cell1-3 |
++---------+         +---------+
+| cell2-1 |         | cell2-2 |
++         +---------+---------+
+|         | cell3-2           |
++---------+                   |
+| cell4-1 |                   |
++---------+---------+---------+
+| cell5-1                     |
++---------+---------+---------+
+
 table having :widths: option
 ----------------------------
 
diff --git a/tests/test_build_latex.py b/tests/test_build_latex.py
index 1c1cd3928..17fa61957 100644
--- a/tests/test_build_latex.py
+++ b/tests/test_build_latex.py
@@ -839,6 +839,23 @@ def test_latex_table(app, status, warning):
     assert ('\\hline\ncell3-1\n&\ncell3-2\n\\\\' in table)
     assert ('\\hline\n\\end{tabulary}' in table)
 
+    # grid table
+    table = tables['grid table']
+    assert ('\\noindent\\begin{tabulary}{\\linewidth}{|L|L|L|}' in table)
+    assert ('\\hline\n'
+            '\\sphinxstylethead{\\relax \nheader1\n\\unskip}\\relax &'
+            '\\sphinxstylethead{\\relax \nheader2\n\\unskip}\\relax &'
+            '\\sphinxstylethead{\\relax \nheader3\n\\unskip}\\relax \\\\' in table)
+    assert ('\\hline\ncell1-1\n&\\multirow{2}{*}{\\relax \ncell1-2\n\\unskip}\\relax &\n'
+            'cell1-3\n\\\\' in table)
+    assert ('\\cline{1-1}\\cline{3-3}\\multirow{2}{*}{\\relax \ncell2-1\n\\unskip}\\relax &&\n'
+            'cell2-2\n\\\\' in table)
+    assert ('\\cline{2-3}&\\multicolumn{2}{l|}{\\relax \\multirow{2}{*}{\\relax \n'
+            'cell3-2\n\\unskip}\\relax \\unskip}\\relax \\\\' in table)
+    assert ('\\cline{1-1}\ncell4-1\n&\\multicolumn{2}{l|}{}\\relax \\\\' in table)
+    assert ('\\hline\\multicolumn{3}{|l|}{\\relax \ncell5-1\n\\unskip}\\relax \\\\\n'
+            '\\hline\n\\end{tabulary}' in table)
+
     # table having :widths: option
     table = tables['table having :widths: option']
     assert ('\\noindent\\begin{tabular}{|\\X{30}{100}|\\X{70}{100}|}' in table)