diff --git a/toolchains/arduino/org.eclipse.cdt.arduino.core/src/org/eclipse/cdt/arduino/core/internal/HierarchicalProperties.java b/toolchains/arduino/org.eclipse.cdt.arduino.core/src/org/eclipse/cdt/arduino/core/internal/HierarchicalProperties.java
index 54508295031..565d8405958 100644
--- a/toolchains/arduino/org.eclipse.cdt.arduino.core/src/org/eclipse/cdt/arduino/core/internal/HierarchicalProperties.java
+++ b/toolchains/arduino/org.eclipse.cdt.arduino.core/src/org/eclipse/cdt/arduino/core/internal/HierarchicalProperties.java
@@ -22,11 +22,24 @@ public class HierarchicalProperties {
 
 	private String value;
 	private Map<String, HierarchicalProperties> children;
+	private String platName;
 
 	public HierarchicalProperties() {
+		switch (Platform.getOS()) {
+		case Platform.OS_WIN32:
+			platName = "windows"; //$NON-NLS-1$
+			break;
+		case Platform.OS_MACOSX:
+			platName = "macosx"; //$NON-NLS-1$
+			break;
+		case Platform.OS_LINUX:
+			platName = "linux"; //$NON-NLS-1$
+			break;
+		}
 	}
 
 	public HierarchicalProperties(LinkedProperties properties) {
+		this();
 		for (Object keyObj : properties.orderedKeys()) {
 			String key = (String) keyObj;
 			String value = (String) properties.get(key);
@@ -81,25 +94,15 @@ public class HierarchicalProperties {
 	}
 
 	public String getValue() {
-		if (value == null) {
-			// Try a platform child
-			String platName = null;
-			switch (Platform.getOS()) {
-			case Platform.OS_WIN32:
-				platName = "windows"; //$NON-NLS-1$
-				break;
-			case Platform.OS_MACOSX:
-				platName = "macosx"; //$NON-NLS-1$
-				break;
-			case Platform.OS_LINUX:
-				platName = "linux"; //$NON-NLS-1$
-				break;
-			}
-			if (platName != null) {
-				HierarchicalProperties platChild = getChild(platName);
-				if (platChild != null) {
-					return platChild.getValue();
-				}
+		// Try a platform child
+		if (platName != null && hasChild(platName)) {
+			HierarchicalProperties child = getChild(platName);
+
+			// return the child's value if
+			// - it has a property
+			// - it has no more children. In that case the value could even be null (specifically overridden)
+			if ((null != child.getValue()) || (!child.hasChildren())) {
+				return child.getValue();
 			}
 		}
 		return value;
@@ -113,6 +116,14 @@ public class HierarchicalProperties {
 		return children;
 	}
 
+	private boolean hasChildren() {
+		return (children != null && children.size() > 0);
+	}
+
+	private boolean hasChild(String key) {
+		return (children != null && children.containsKey(key));
+	}
+
 	public HierarchicalProperties getChild(String key) {
 		return children != null ? children.get(key) : null;
 	}
@@ -180,5 +191,4 @@ public class HierarchicalProperties {
 			}
 		}
 	}
-
 }
diff --git a/toolchains/arduino/org.eclipse.cdt.arduino.core/src/org/eclipse/cdt/arduino/core/internal/board/ArduinoPlatform.java b/toolchains/arduino/org.eclipse.cdt.arduino.core/src/org/eclipse/cdt/arduino/core/internal/board/ArduinoPlatform.java
index af2bf642a48..c0a5bccc966 100644
--- a/toolchains/arduino/org.eclipse.cdt.arduino.core/src/org/eclipse/cdt/arduino/core/internal/board/ArduinoPlatform.java
+++ b/toolchains/arduino/org.eclipse.cdt.arduino.core/src/org/eclipse/cdt/arduino/core/internal/board/ArduinoPlatform.java
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ public class ArduinoPlatform {
 	private Path installPath;
 	private ArduinoPackage pkg;
 	private HierarchicalProperties boardsProperties;
-	private LinkedProperties platformProperties;
+	private HierarchicalProperties platformProperties;
 	private HierarchicalProperties programmerProperties;
 	private Map<String, String> menus = new HashMap<>();
 	private Map<String, ArduinoLibrary> libraries;
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ public class ArduinoPlatform {
 		return size;
 	}
 
-	public void setPlatformProperties(LinkedProperties platformProperties) {
+	public void setPlatformProperties(HierarchicalProperties platformProperties) {
 		this.platformProperties = platformProperties;
 	}
 
@@ -187,9 +187,9 @@ public class ArduinoPlatform {
 		return null;
 	}
 
-	public LinkedProperties getPlatformProperties() throws CoreException {
+	public HierarchicalProperties getPlatformProperties() throws CoreException {
 		if (platformProperties == null) {
-			platformProperties = new LinkedProperties();
+			LinkedProperties rawPlatformProps = new LinkedProperties();
 			try (BufferedReader reader = new BufferedReader(
 					new FileReader(getInstallPath().resolve("platform.txt").toFile()))) { //$NON-NLS-1$
 				// There are regex's here and need to preserve the \'s
@@ -199,11 +199,12 @@ public class ArduinoPlatform {
 					buffer.append('\n');
 				}
 				try (Reader reader1 = new StringReader(buffer.toString())) {
-					platformProperties.load(reader1);
+					rawPlatformProps.load(reader1);
 				}
 			} catch (IOException e) {
 				throw Activator.coreException(e);
 			}
+			platformProperties = new HierarchicalProperties(rawPlatformProps);
 		}
 		return platformProperties;
 	}
diff --git a/toolchains/arduino/org.eclipse.cdt.arduino.core/src/org/eclipse/cdt/arduino/core/internal/build/ArduinoBuildConfiguration.java b/toolchains/arduino/org.eclipse.cdt.arduino.core/src/org/eclipse/cdt/arduino/core/internal/build/ArduinoBuildConfiguration.java
index 38441826f54..62d0ccaa47e 100644
--- a/toolchains/arduino/org.eclipse.cdt.arduino.core/src/org/eclipse/cdt/arduino/core/internal/build/ArduinoBuildConfiguration.java
+++ b/toolchains/arduino/org.eclipse.cdt.arduino.core/src/org/eclipse/cdt/arduino/core/internal/build/ArduinoBuildConfiguration.java
@@ -187,13 +187,13 @@ public class ArduinoBuildConfiguration extends CBuildConfiguration
 					ArduinoPlatform superPlatform = manager.getInstalledPlatform(segments[0],
 							platform.getArchitecture());
 					if (superPlatform != null) {
-						boardProperties.putAll(superPlatform.getPlatformProperties());
+						boardProperties.putAll(superPlatform.getPlatformProperties().flatten());
 					}
 				}
 			}
 
 			// Platform
-			boardProperties.putAll(platform.getPlatformProperties());
+			boardProperties.putAll(platform.getPlatformProperties().flatten());
 
 			// Tools
 			for (ToolDependency toolDep : platform.getToolsDependencies()) {
@@ -520,8 +520,7 @@ public class ArduinoBuildConfiguration extends CBuildConfiguration
 		properties.put("config.path", "{tools." + toolName + ".config.path}"); //$NON-NLS-1$ //$NON-NLS-2$ //$NON-NLS-3$
 
 		// properties for the tool flattened
-		HierarchicalProperties toolsProps = new HierarchicalProperties(platform.getPlatformProperties())
-				.getChild("tools"); //$NON-NLS-1$
+		HierarchicalProperties toolsProps = platform.getPlatformProperties().getChild("tools"); //$NON-NLS-1$
 		if (toolsProps != null) {
 			HierarchicalProperties toolProps = toolsProps.getChild(toolName);
 			if (toolProps != null) {