Antony Gelberg wrote:

I've ripped out some fitted wardrobes which had some shelves glued to
the plasterboard wall with very strong adhesive. Taking them off has
left me with a rip in the board - /not/ structurally, but in the surface
paper, leaving me looking at brown fibres.

What do I need to do to these areas? Seal with dilute PVA, skim with
plaster, then paint?

Yes to the PVA, not sure about plaster... What I'd do is PVA (not weaker
than 50/50, perhaps more like 70/30), then Polyfiller - add a drop of PVA
to that if desired - but I've had no problems using it either way on PB
damaged areas.

HTH

Tim