Inconsistent UIManager

I am trying to change the UI of a frame which is called from an applet (not being run through a web page but through JBuilder). Some of the components accept the change, but others (the panel, and JLabel) do not. I've tried setting the UI in static blocks in various places, including the JApplet class itself. I've tried revalidating and repainting the GUI.

Can anyone 1) explain why I'm getting the inconsistencies - (does the UIManager.setLookAndFeel() method have to be called in a certain place? If so, why when I call it <b>before</b> the frame exists, it doesn't catch completely?) and 2) How do I fix it?

[655 byte] By [jyuter] at [2007-9-26 2:46:37]