diff --git a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/MetaDataCreateIndexService.java b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/MetaDataCreateIndexService.java
index 80ac07f3ef1..95675d06e8b 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/MetaDataCreateIndexService.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/MetaDataCreateIndexService.java
@@ -264,7 +264,7 @@ public class MetaDataCreateIndexService extends AbstractComponent {
                     // first, add the default mapping
                     if (mappings.containsKey(MapperService.DEFAULT_MAPPING)) {
                         try {
-                            mapperService.add(MapperService.DEFAULT_MAPPING, XContentFactory.jsonBuilder().map(mappings.get(MapperService.DEFAULT_MAPPING)).string());
+                            mapperService.add(MapperService.DEFAULT_MAPPING, XContentFactory.jsonBuilder().map(mappings.get(MapperService.DEFAULT_MAPPING)).string(), false);
                         } catch (Exception e) {
                             indicesService.deleteIndex(request.index, "failed on parsing default mapping on index creation");
                             throw new MapperParsingException("mapping [" + MapperService.DEFAULT_MAPPING + "]", e);
@@ -275,7 +275,8 @@ public class MetaDataCreateIndexService extends AbstractComponent {
                             continue;
                         }
                         try {
-                            mapperService.add(entry.getKey(), XContentFactory.jsonBuilder().map(entry.getValue()).string());
+                            // apply the default here, its the first time we parse it
+                            mapperService.add(entry.getKey(), XContentFactory.jsonBuilder().map(entry.getValue()).string(), true);
                         } catch (Exception e) {
                             indicesService.deleteIndex(request.index, "failed on parsing mappings on index creation");
                             throw new MapperParsingException("mapping [" + entry.getKey() + "]", e);
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/MetaDataMappingService.java b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/MetaDataMappingService.java
index e89f4886293..b6ac641f434 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/MetaDataMappingService.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/cluster/metadata/MetaDataMappingService.java
@@ -119,7 +119,8 @@ public class MetaDataMappingService extends AbstractComponent {
                         for (String type : sTypes) {
                             // only add the current relevant mapping (if exists)
                             if (indexMetaData.mappings().containsKey(type)) {
-                                indexService.mapperService().add(type, indexMetaData.mappings().get(type).source().string());
+                                // don't apply the default mapping, it has been applied when the mapping was created
+                                indexService.mapperService().add(type, indexMetaData.mappings().get(type).source().string(), false);
                             }
                         }
                     }
@@ -176,7 +177,7 @@ public class MetaDataMappingService extends AbstractComponent {
                         createdIndex = true;
                         // only add the current relevant mapping (if exists)
                         if (indexMetaData.mappings().containsKey(type)) {
-                            indexService.mapperService().add(type, indexMetaData.mappings().get(type).source().string());
+                            indexService.mapperService().add(type, indexMetaData.mappings().get(type).source().string(), false);
                         }
                     }
                     MapperService mapperService = indexService.mapperService();
@@ -304,7 +305,7 @@ public class MetaDataMappingService extends AbstractComponent {
                         indicesToClose.add(indexMetaData.index());
                         // only add the current relevant mapping (if exists)
                         if (indexMetaData.mappings().containsKey(request.mappingType)) {
-                            indexService.mapperService().add(request.mappingType, indexMetaData.mappings().get(request.mappingType).source().string());
+                            indexService.mapperService().add(request.mappingType, indexMetaData.mappings().get(request.mappingType).source().string(), false);
                         }
                     }
 
@@ -371,7 +372,8 @@ public class MetaDataMappingService extends AbstractComponent {
                             // we also add it to the registered parsed mapping, since that's what we do when we merge
                             // and, we won't wait for it to be created on this master node
                             IndexService indexService = indicesService.indexService(index);
-                            indexService.mapperService().add(newMapper.type(), newMapper.mappingSource().string());
+                            // don't apply default mapping, we already applied them when we parsed it
+                            indexService.mapperService().add(newMapper.type(), newMapper.mappingSource().string(), false);
                             if (logger.isDebugEnabled()) {
                                 logger.debug("[{}] create_mapping [{}] with source [{}]", index, newMapper.type(), newSource);
                             } else if (logger.isInfoEnabled()) {
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/MapperService.java b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/MapperService.java
index 3cf33e0f901..75ebec71a8d 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/MapperService.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/index/mapper/MapperService.java
@@ -172,7 +172,7 @@ public class MapperService extends AbstractIndexComponent implements Iterable<Do
         return this.documentParser;
     }
 
-    public void add(String type, String mappingSource) {
+    public void add(String type, String mappingSource, boolean applyDefault) {
         if (DEFAULT_MAPPING.equals(type)) {
             // verify we can parse it
             DocumentMapper mapper = documentParser.parse(type, mappingSource);
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ public class MapperService extends AbstractIndexComponent implements Iterable<Do
             }
             defaultMappingSource = mappingSource;
         } else {
-            add(parse(type, mappingSource));
+            add(parse(type, mappingSource, applyDefault));
         }
     }
 
@@ -358,10 +358,14 @@ public class MapperService extends AbstractIndexComponent implements Iterable<Do
     }
 
     /**
-     * Just parses and returns the mapper without adding it.
+     * Just parses and returns the mapper without adding it, while still applying default mapping.
      */
     public DocumentMapper parse(String mappingType, String mappingSource) throws MapperParsingException {
-        return documentParser.parse(mappingType, mappingSource, defaultMappingSource);
+        return parse(mappingType, mappingSource, true);
+    }
+
+    public DocumentMapper parse(String mappingType, String mappingSource, boolean applyDefault) throws MapperParsingException {
+        return documentParser.parse(mappingType, mappingSource, applyDefault ? defaultMappingSource : null);
     }
 
     public boolean hasMapping(String mappingType) {
@@ -390,7 +394,7 @@ public class MapperService extends AbstractIndexComponent implements Iterable<Do
             if (mapper != null) {
                 return mapper;
             }
-            add(type, null);
+            add(type, null, true);
             return mappers.get(type);
         }
     }
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/cluster/IndicesClusterStateService.java b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/cluster/IndicesClusterStateService.java
index 88454597155..5a3f067311f 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/cluster/IndicesClusterStateService.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/elasticsearch/indices/cluster/IndicesClusterStateService.java
@@ -385,7 +385,8 @@ public class IndicesClusterStateService extends AbstractLifecycleComponent<Indic
                 if (logger.isDebugEnabled()) {
                     logger.debug("[{}] adding mapping [{}], source [{}]", index, mappingType, mappingSource.string());
                 }
-                mapperService.add(mappingType, mappingSource.string());
+                // we don't apply default, since it has been applied when the mappings were parsed initially
+                mapperService.add(mappingType, mappingSource.string(), false);
                 if (!mapperService.documentMapper(mappingType).mappingSource().equals(mappingSource)) {
                     // this might happen when upgrading from 0.15 to 0.16
                     logger.debug("[{}] parsed mapping [{}], and got different sources\noriginal:\n{}\nparsed:\n{}", index, mappingType, mappingSource, mapperService.documentMapper(mappingType).mappingSource());
@@ -399,7 +400,8 @@ public class IndicesClusterStateService extends AbstractLifecycleComponent<Indic
                     if (logger.isDebugEnabled()) {
                         logger.debug("[{}] updating mapping [{}], source [{}]", index, mappingType, mappingSource.string());
                     }
-                    mapperService.add(mappingType, mappingSource.string());
+                    // we don't apply default, since it has been applied when the mappings were parsed initially
+                    mapperService.add(mappingType, mappingSource.string(), false);
                     if (!mapperService.documentMapper(mappingType).mappingSource().equals(mappingSource)) {
                         requiresRefresh = true;
                         // this might happen when upgrading from 0.15 to 0.16
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/test/unit/index/mapper/source/DefaultSourceMappingTests.java b/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/test/unit/index/mapper/source/DefaultSourceMappingTests.java
index 4a4b4ab4eda..ed2a3c5389f 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/test/unit/index/mapper/source/DefaultSourceMappingTests.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/test/unit/index/mapper/source/DefaultSourceMappingTests.java
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ public class DefaultSourceMappingTests {
                 .endObject().endObject().string();
 
         MapperService mapperService = MapperTests.newMapperService();
-        mapperService.add(MapperService.DEFAULT_MAPPING, defaultMapping);
+        mapperService.add(MapperService.DEFAULT_MAPPING, defaultMapping, true);
 
         DocumentMapper mapper = mapperService.documentMapperWithAutoCreate("my_type");
         assertThat(mapper.type(), equalTo("my_type"));
@@ -182,12 +182,12 @@ public class DefaultSourceMappingTests {
                 .endObject().endObject().string();
 
         MapperService mapperService = MapperTests.newMapperService();
-        mapperService.add(MapperService.DEFAULT_MAPPING, defaultMapping);
+        mapperService.add(MapperService.DEFAULT_MAPPING, defaultMapping, true);
 
         String mapping = XContentFactory.jsonBuilder().startObject().startObject("type")
                 .startObject("_source").field("enabled", true).endObject()
                 .endObject().endObject().string();
-        mapperService.add("my_type", mapping);
+        mapperService.add("my_type", mapping, true);
 
         DocumentMapper mapper = mapperService.documentMapper("my_type");
         assertThat(mapper.type(), equalTo("my_type"));
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/test/unit/index/query/SimpleIndexQueryParserTests.java b/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/test/unit/index/query/SimpleIndexQueryParserTests.java
index 22b082f7a4c..2f78a6b9f76 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/test/unit/index/query/SimpleIndexQueryParserTests.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/test/unit/index/query/SimpleIndexQueryParserTests.java
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ public class SimpleIndexQueryParserTests {
         ).createInjector();
 
         String mapping = copyToStringFromClasspath("/org/elasticsearch/test/unit/index/query/mapping.json");
-        injector.getInstance(MapperService.class).add("person", mapping);
+        injector.getInstance(MapperService.class).add("person", mapping, true);
         injector.getInstance(MapperService.class).documentMapper("person").parse(new BytesArray(copyToBytesFromClasspath("/org/elasticsearch/test/unit/index/query/data.json")));
         this.queryParser = injector.getInstance(IndexQueryParserService.class);
     }