understanding liquid layouts

This is the site I'm workin on: http://www.vachiropractic.com/newsite/

I'm looking to liquify the current layout. Ideally I'd like to mirror
the general layout of this layout:
http://blog.html.it/layoutgala/LayoutGala23.html

One modification I'd like to implement is the ability to have text
either span the entire width of the wrapper, or float the the left or
the right of a fixed box. Above template has both-fixed width boxes
floating on the same side, and doesn't have a div for a line of
straight-across text.

--
James Fishwick