Create more visual cues for columns?

I am using Pagelines’ Platform template, which does not show distinct columns, eg, boxes around widgets, different colors, a vertical line, etc.

What are the options for doing so? My current solution is to create a background image that matches the column widths with different colors: see http://heroncoaching.com/Beyond-Index/. However, the header doesn’t align properly and the column colors appear at top of page, which is distracting.

Any other solutions for more clearly denoting columns?

Thanks!