diff --git a/ClosedXML/ClosedXML/ClosedXML/Excel/IXLCell.cs b/ClosedXML/ClosedXML/ClosedXML/Excel/IXLCell.cs
index 7561b9f..c6fc7a9 100644
--- a/ClosedXML/ClosedXML/ClosedXML/Excel/IXLCell.cs
+++ b/ClosedXML/ClosedXML/ClosedXML/Excel/IXLCell.cs
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@
 
     public interface IXLCell: IXLStylized
     {
-        Boolean Initialized { get; }
         String Value { get; set; }
         IXLAddress Address { get; }
         XLCellValues DataType { get; set; }
diff --git a/ClosedXML/ClosedXML/ClosedXML/Excel/XLCell.cs b/ClosedXML/ClosedXML/ClosedXML/Excel/XLCell.cs
index 290db6c..dd39469 100644
--- a/ClosedXML/ClosedXML/ClosedXML/Excel/XLCell.cs
+++ b/ClosedXML/ClosedXML/ClosedXML/Excel/XLCell.cs
@@ -14,9 +14,10 @@
             Style = defaultStyle;
             if (Style == null) Style = XLWorkbook.DefaultStyle;
         }
-        public Boolean Initialized { get; private set; }
+        
         public IXLAddress Address { get; private set; }
 
+        private Boolean initialized = false;
         private String cellValue = String.Empty;
         public String Value
         {
@@ -28,27 +29,35 @@
             {
                 String val = value;
 
-                Double dTest;
-                DateTime dtTest;
-                Boolean bTest;
-                if (Double.TryParse(val, out dTest))
+                if (!initialized)
                 {
-                    DataType = XLCellValues.Number;
-                }
-                else if (DateTime.TryParse(val, out dtTest))
-                {
-                    DataType = XLCellValues.DateTime;
-                    Style.NumberFormat.NumberFormatId = 14;
-                    val = dtTest.ToOADate().ToString();
-                }
-                else if (Boolean.TryParse(val, out bTest))
-                {
-                    DataType = XLCellValues.Boolean;
-                    val = bTest ? "1" : "0";
-                }
-                else
-                {
-                    DataType = XLCellValues.SharedString;
+                    Double dTest;
+                    DateTime dtTest;
+                    Boolean bTest;
+                    if (val.Substring(0, 1) == "'")
+                    {
+                        val = val.Substring(1, val.Length - 1);
+                        dataType = XLCellValues.SharedString;
+                    }
+                    else if (Double.TryParse(val, out dTest))
+                    {
+                        dataType = XLCellValues.Number;
+                    }
+                    else if (DateTime.TryParse(val, out dtTest))
+                    {
+                        dataType = XLCellValues.DateTime;
+                        Style.NumberFormat.NumberFormatId = 14;
+                        val = dtTest.ToOADate().ToString();
+                    }
+                    else if (Boolean.TryParse(val, out bTest))
+                    {
+                        dataType = XLCellValues.Boolean;
+                        val = bTest ? "1" : "0";
+                    }
+                    else
+                    {
+                        dataType = XLCellValues.SharedString;
+                    }
                 }
                 cellValue = val;
             }
@@ -83,7 +92,64 @@
 
         #endregion
 
+        private XLCellValues dataType;
+        public XLCellValues DataType 
+        {
+            get
+            {
+                return dataType;
+            }
+            set
+            {
+                initialized = true;
+                if (value == XLCellValues.Boolean)
+                {
+                    cellValue = Boolean.Parse(cellValue) ? "1" : "0";
+                }
+                else if (value == XLCellValues.DateTime)
+                {
+                    DateTime dtTest;
+                    Double dblTest;
+                    if (DateTime.TryParse(cellValue, out dtTest))
+                    {
+                        cellValue = dtTest.ToOADate().ToString();
+                    }
+                    else if (Double.TryParse(cellValue, out dblTest))
+                    {
+                        cellValue = dblTest.ToString();
+                    }
+                    else
+                    {
+                        throw new ArgumentException("Cannot set data type to DateTime because '" + cellValue + "' is not recognized as a date.");
+                    }
 
-        public XLCellValues DataType { get; set; }
+                    if (Style.NumberFormat.Format == String.Empty)
+                        Style.NumberFormat.NumberFormatId = 14;
+                }
+                else if (value == XLCellValues.Number)
+                {
+                    cellValue = Double.Parse(cellValue).ToString();
+                    if (Style.NumberFormat.Format == String.Empty)
+                        Style.NumberFormat.NumberFormatId = 0;
+                }
+                else
+                {
+                    if (dataType == XLCellValues.Boolean)
+                    {
+                        cellValue = (cellValue == "0" ? false : true).ToString();
+                    }
+                    else if (dataType == XLCellValues.Number)
+                    {
+                        cellValue = Double.Parse(cellValue).ToString(Style.NumberFormat.Format);
+                    }
+                    else if (dataType == XLCellValues.DateTime)
+                    {
+                        cellValue = DateTime.FromOADate(Double.Parse(cellValue)).ToString(Style.NumberFormat.Format);
+                    }
+                }
+                
+                dataType = value;
+            }
+        }
     }
 }
diff --git a/ClosedXML/ClosedXML/ClosedXML_Examples/ClosedXML_Examples.csproj b/ClosedXML/ClosedXML/ClosedXML_Examples/ClosedXML_Examples.csproj
index 34b9955..2af221b 100644
--- a/ClosedXML/ClosedXML/ClosedXML_Examples/ClosedXML_Examples.csproj
+++ b/ClosedXML/ClosedXML/ClosedXML_Examples/ClosedXML_Examples.csproj
@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@
     <Compile Include="Columns\ColumnCollections.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Columns\InsertColumns.cs" />
     <Compile Include="HelloWorld.cs" />
+    <Compile Include="Misc\DataTypes.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Misc\MergeCells.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Program.cs" />
     <Compile Include="Properties\AssemblyInfo.cs" />
diff --git a/ClosedXML/ClosedXML/ClosedXML_Examples/Misc/DataTypes.cs b/ClosedXML/ClosedXML/ClosedXML_Examples/Misc/DataTypes.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1d98573
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ClosedXML/ClosedXML/ClosedXML_Examples/Misc/DataTypes.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,133 @@
+using System;
+using System.Collections.Generic;
+using System.Linq;
+using System.Text;
+using ClosedXML.Excel;
+using ClosedXML.Excel.Style;
+using System.Drawing;
+
+namespace ClosedXML_Examples.Misc
+{
+    public class DataTypes
+    {
+        #region Variables
+
+        // Public
+
+        // Private
+
+
+        #endregion
+
+        #region Properties
+
+        // Public
+
+        // Private
+
+        // Override
+
+
+        #endregion
+
+        #region Events
+
+        // Public
+
+        // Private
+
+        // Override
+
+
+        #endregion
+
+        #region Methods
+
+        // Public
+        public void Create(String filePath)
+        {
+            var workbook = new XLWorkbook();
+            var ws = workbook.Worksheets.Add("Data Types");
+
+            var co = 2;
+            var ro = 1;
+
+            ws.Cell(++ro, co).Value = "Plain Text:";
+            ws.Cell(ro, co + 1).Value = "Hello World.";
+
+            ws.Cell(++ro, co).Value = "Plain Date:";
+            ws.Cell(ro, co + 1).Value = new DateTime(2010, 9, 2).ToString();
+
+            ws.Cell(++ro, co).Value = "Plain Boolean:";
+            ws.Cell(ro, co + 1).Value = true.ToString();
+
+            ws.Cell(++ro, co).Value = "Plain Number:";
+            ws.Cell(ro, co + 1).Value = "123.45";
+
+            ro++;
+
+            ws.Cell(++ro, co).Value = "Explicit Text:";
+            ws.Cell(ro, co + 1).Value = "'Hello World.";
+
+            ws.Cell(++ro, co).Value = "Date as Text:";
+            ws.Cell(ro, co + 1).Value = "'" + new DateTime(2010, 9, 2).ToString();
+
+            ws.Cell(++ro, co).Value = "Boolean as Text:";
+            ws.Cell(ro, co + 1).Value = "'" + true.ToString();
+
+            ws.Cell(++ro, co).Value = "Number as Text:";
+            ws.Cell(ro, co + 1).Value = "'123.45";
+
+            ro++;
+
+            ws.Cell(++ro, co).Value = "Changing Data Types:";
+
+            ro++;
+
+            ws.Cell(++ro, co).Value = "Date to Text:";
+            ws.Cell(ro, co + 1).Value = new DateTime(2010, 9, 2).ToString();
+            ws.Cell(ro, co + 1).DataType = XLCellValues.SharedString;
+
+            ws.Cell(++ro, co).Value = "Boolean to Text:";
+            ws.Cell(ro, co + 1).Value = true.ToString();
+            ws.Cell(ro, co + 1).DataType = XLCellValues.SharedString;
+
+            ws.Cell(++ro, co).Value = "Number to Text:";
+            ws.Cell(ro, co + 1).Value = "123.45";
+            ws.Cell(ro, co + 1).DataType = XLCellValues.SharedString;
+
+            ws.Cell(++ro, co).Value = "Text to Date:";
+            ws.Cell(ro, co + 1).Value = "'" + new DateTime(2010, 9, 2).ToString();
+            ws.Cell(ro, co + 1).DataType = XLCellValues.DateTime;
+
+            ws.Cell(++ro, co).Value = "Text to Boolean:";
+            ws.Cell(ro, co + 1).Value = "'" + true.ToString();
+            ws.Cell(ro, co + 1).DataType = XLCellValues.Boolean;
+
+            ws.Cell(++ro, co).Value = "Text to Number:";
+            ws.Cell(ro, co + 1).Value = "'123.45";
+            ws.Cell(ro, co + 1).DataType = XLCellValues.Number;
+
+            ro++;
+
+            ws.Cell(++ro, co).Value = "Formatted Date to Text:";
+            ws.Cell(ro, co + 1).Value = new DateTime(2010, 9, 2).ToString();
+            ws.Cell(ro, co + 1).Style.NumberFormat.Format = "yyyy-MM-dd";
+            ws.Cell(ro, co + 1).DataType = XLCellValues.SharedString;
+
+            ws.Cell(++ro, co).Value = "Formatted Number to Text:";
+            ws.Cell(ro, co + 1).Value = "12345.6789";
+            ws.Cell(ro, co + 1).Style.NumberFormat.Format = "#,##0.00";
+            ws.Cell(ro, co + 1).DataType = XLCellValues.SharedString;
+
+            workbook.SaveAs(filePath);
+        }
+
+        // Private
+
+        // Override
+
+
+        #endregion
+    }
+}
diff --git a/ClosedXML/ClosedXML/ClosedXML_Examples/Program.cs b/ClosedXML/ClosedXML/ClosedXML_Examples/Program.cs
index 1942617..fae14b5 100644
--- a/ClosedXML/ClosedXML/ClosedXML_Examples/Program.cs
+++ b/ClosedXML/ClosedXML/ClosedXML_Examples/Program.cs
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
             new InsertRows().Create(@"c:\InsertRows.xlsx");
             new InsertColumns().Create(@"c:\InsertColumns.xlsx");
             new ColumnCollection().Create(@"c:\ColumnCollection.xlsx");
+            new DataTypes().Create(@"c:\DataTypes.xlsx");
         }
     }
 }
\ No newline at end of file