diff --git a/include/image.mk b/include/image.mk
index bc7e7db..fbdbe71 100644
--- a/include/image.mk
+++ b/include/image.mk
@@ -182,12 +182,17 @@ ifneq ($(CONFIG_TARGET_ROOTFS_EXT4FS),)
   E2SIZE=$(shell echo $$(($(CONFIG_TARGET_ROOTFS_PARTSIZE)*1024)))
 
   define Image/mkfs/ext4
-# generate an ext2 fs
-	$(STAGING_DIR_HOST)/bin/genext2fs -U -b $(E2SIZE) -N $(CONFIG_TARGET_ROOTFS_MAXINODE) -d $(TARGET_DIR)/ $(KDIR)/root.ext4 -m $(CONFIG_TARGET_ROOTFS_RESERVED_PCT) $(MKFS_DEVTABLE_OPT)
+# generate a fs
+	dd if=/dev/zero of=$(KDIR)/root.ext4 seek=$(E2SIZE) count=0 bs=1k
 # convert it to ext4
-	$(STAGING_DIR_HOST)/bin/tune2fs -O extents,uninit_bg,dir_index $(KDIR)/root.ext4
-# fix it up
-	$(STAGING_DIR_HOST)/bin/e2fsck -fy $(KDIR)/root.ext4
+	$(STAGING_DIR_HOST)/bin/mkfs.ext4 -F -E root_owner=0:0 -L OpenWrt -N $(CONFIG_TARGET_ROOTFS_MAXINODE) \
+		-O has_journal,ext_attr,resize_inode,dir_index,filetype,extent,flex_bg,sparse_super,large_file,uninit_bg,dir_nlink,extra_isize \
+		-m $(CONFIG_TARGET_ROOTFS_RESERVED_PCT) \
+		$(KDIR)/root.ext4
+# populate it
+	$(STAGING_DIR_HOST)/bin/populatefs -U -d $(TARGET_DIR) $(MKFS_DEVTABLE_OPT) $(KDIR)/root.ext4
+# check it
+	$(STAGING_DIR_HOST)/bin/fsck.ext4 -fy $(KDIR)/root.ext4
 	$(call Image/Build,ext4)
   endef
 endif
diff --git a/tools/Makefile b/tools/Makefile
index 7fea248..ae1d1fd 100644
--- a/tools/Makefile
+++ b/tools/Makefile
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ ifeq ($(CONFIG_EXTERNAL_TOOLCHAIN)$(CONFIG_GCC_LLVM),)
 tools-y += gmp mpfr mpc libelf
 endif
 tools-y += m4 libtool autoconf automake flex bison pkg-config sed mklibs
-tools-y += sstrip ipkg-utils genext2fs e2fsprogs mtd-utils mkimage
+tools-y += sstrip ipkg-utils genext2fs e2fsprogs mtd-utils mkimage populatefs
 tools-y += firmware-utils patch-image patch quilt yaffs2 flock padjffs2
 tools-y += mm-macros xorg-macros xfce-macros missing-macros xz cmake scons bc
 tools-y += findutils
diff --git a/tools/populatefs/Makefile b/tools/populatefs/Makefile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..efb0557
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/populatefs/Makefile
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+#
+# Copyright (C) 2006 OpenWrt.org
+#
+# This is free software, licensed under the GNU General Public License v2.
+# See /LICENSE for more information.
+#
+
+include $(TOPDIR)/rules.mk
+
+PKG_NAME:=populatefs
+PKG_VERSION:=0.9
+
+PKG_SOURCE:=$(PKG_NAME)-$(PKG_VERSION).tar.gz
+PKG_SOURCE_URL:=git://github.com/oskarirauta/populatefs
+PKG_SOURCE_PROTO:=git
+PKG_SOURCE_VERSION:=9cb86b88d29601e73f9d78eeb3430a0a32b33057
+PKG_SOURCE_SUBDIR:=$(PKG_NAME)-$(PKG_VERSION)
+PKG_CAT:=zcat
+
+include $(INCLUDE_DIR)/host-build.mk
+
+define Host/Configure
+	true
+endef
+
+define Host/Compile
+	CC=$(HOSTCC) \
+	CFLAGS=" -fPIC -Wall $(HOST_CFLAGS)" \
+	LDFLAGS=$(HOST_LDFLAGS) \
+	EXTRAVERSION="-openwrt" \
+	$(MAKE) -C $(HOST_BUILD_DIR) \
+		all
+endef
+
+define Host/Install
+	install -m0755 $(HOST_BUILD_DIR)/src/populatefs $(STAGING_DIR_HOST)/bin/
+endef
+
+define Host/Clean
+	rm -f $(STAGING_DIR_HOST)/bin/genext2fs
+endef
+
+$(eval $(call HostBuild))