Help with complex fluid design please?

Using 9 images to create a fluid border.

[froggercod]

Okay guys I really need some help, and I can't remember the last time I was this stumped. I'm trying to create a 3 column liquid layout, that's good, left and right columns are fixed at 250, and the center the is fluid. Now within the center column I have a a div that's surrounded by a border, type thing.

See example:
<snip>

I've sliced the border into 9 images to stretch both vertically and horizontally. But I cannot get it to work both ways. I can either get it to work horizontally or vertically. I've searched all over google for tutorials, the ones I've found have only been rounded corners and their using this huge images and resizing them.. Not what I'm looking for.

Could you guys help me?

[edited by: eelixduppy at 8:34 am (utc) on Nov. 27, 2008]
[edit reason] no images, please [/edit]

[swa66]

Don't discount the large image too easily, it'll load faster and shorter than your 9 images in most cases.
Basically they are using a sliding doors technique in both directions.

Why don't you post some minimal code to show us to where you got.