diff --git a/src/axis/qabstractaxis.cpp b/src/axis/qabstractaxis.cpp
index 5b7a796..6f7cec6 100644
--- a/src/axis/qabstractaxis.cpp
+++ b/src/axis/qabstractaxis.cpp
@@ -968,6 +968,8 @@ void QAbstractAxisPrivate::initializeTheme(ChartTheme* theme, bool forced)
                     || (theme->backgroundShades() == ChartTheme::BackgroundShadesVertical && axisX)
                     || (theme->backgroundShades() == ChartTheme::BackgroundShadesHorizontal && !axisX))) {
                  q_ptr->setShadesVisible(true);
+            } else {
+                q_ptr->setShadesVisible(false);
             }
         }
     }